Gun of Ashes

”He’s very special... actually, this is also something I chose for myself. He said toying with an ordinary person is meaningless, like a tiger playing with a mouse, it’s uninteresting... so he let me make my own choice.”

Hig’s voice was somewhat weak, leaning against the wall. The abnormality in his body had begun to show, but fortunately, the demonization was not yet visually apparent.

This was a transaction, a deal with the Devil. In that woven illusion, Hig finally caught a glimpse of his long-hidden hometown, but the price was the ever-fading sanity and the gradually distorted body.

Lorenzo walked towards Hig with a folding blade. It was a hard decision, just as he had said to Mrs. Van Rudd back then. Even if you keep a dog for so many years, you’d develop some feelings, let alone a human.

Once, he had a heart of stone, but that heart of stone gradually melted into flesh in warmth. Sometimes, Lorenzo even felt grateful for that; he could still empathize with others’ joys and sorrows. He was still human, not merely a monster.

Hig and Lorenzo briefly made eye contact; perhaps the purifying flame’s light was too bright, or maybe something else, but their eyes crossed and then quickly avoided each other.

Apparently, he didn’t come to kill Lorenzo. Just like Moriarty said, Hig was merely a mouse. How could a gutter rat possibly bite a monster to death?

Lorenzo also couldn’t quite understand why Hig came back and dared to appear before him. After living together for so long, he thought this poor, withdrawn boy would have some idea about what kind of person he was and what kind of work he did, right?

Of course, demons were somewhat beyond Hig’s understanding, but Lorenzo always thought he must appear as a murderous bully in Hig’s eyes, right?

So why come back?

Lorenzo couldn’t understand. If Hig had transformed into a demon somewhere outside... Lorenzo thought that would be the best ending, like those demons he casually slaughtered before. Lorenzo could kill him without care, but now Hig was back, appearing before him like a child admitting his mistakes.

The folding blade lifted slowly. Lorenzo understood what Hig meant. He knew he had become a monster, had done wrong, and only Lorenzo could end it.

”Moriarty...”

Lorenzo softly whispered the name, the long-lost anger boiling fiercely and intensely.

But at this critical moment, Mrs. Van Rudd’s voice rang out.

”Hig!”

She had taken care of Hig for so long. She knew what kind of child Hig was, and this was not his usual behavior.

Mrs. Van Rudd had a vague sense of worry, as if something terrible was about to happen. She quickly walked over, but saw an unexpected scene.

Lorenzo was supporting Hig, while Hig turned his face inward, hidden by shadows.

”What’s wrong?”

”Hig’s feeling a bit unwell, probably caught in the rain. I’m taking him to see a doctor.”

The fierce expression was gone, replaced by the usual drooping face with a mischievous smirk.

He supported Hig towards the door, waved goodbye to Mrs. Van Rudd. The rain outside was heavy, yet Lorenzo didn’t take an umbrella. When Mrs. Van Rudd anxiously followed, the world became a vast white expanse. Everyone on the street appeared like gray ghosts, difficult to discern.