I Will Avenge Myself
I Will Avenge Myself
On the morning of February sixteenth.
"Sometimes, we delude ourselves into believing we are the absolute embodiment of righteousness—as though we alone possess the truth and know how to follow it. All of this stems from a veil that blinds both our eyes and our hearts, leaving us seeing only what we wish to see and hearing only what we wish to hear. Or perhaps, it is nothing more than sheer, stubborn defiance.
Only when that veil lifts and that bitter defiance dissolves do we come to realize the true magnitude of our ignorance and shallow understanding.
A wave of overwhelming shame engulfs us from every side...
And we desperately wish we had never been..."
Aaron set the pen aside after completing those lines in a white-covered notebook, then gently closed it. As the dawn broke on this day, Aaron had made up his mind to trace his rawest emotions onto paper.
Perhaps he had despised what he read among Ari’s densely packed pages and crowded words, but he finally understood her pain... That agonizing emotion whose very nature he had been blind to until now.
Staring through the window of his room—which overlooked the Institution's outer garden—Aaron whispered softly, "I will finish what you left behind, Ari. Perhaps then, after all your suffering, you can finally rest in peace."
Aaron threw on his heavy coat; the air outside was freezing.
He made his way toward his sister Eve’s office. He knocked on the door and waited for a few seconds, but receiving no answer, he stepped inside. The room was empty.
He walked over to draw back the heavy curtains, allowing the sunlight to flood in and illuminate the space. "Eve hates harsh light..." he whispered to himself.
In fact, she rarely ever used the electric lights, except for that single lamp sitting near her bookcase.
Aaron walked over to the armchair beside her desk and sat down, his gaze drifting across the files scattered across the surface.
"Desk work..." Aaron muttered under his breath. "It truly feels suffocating."
He leaned down and pulled open the desk drawer on the side, drawing out a medium-sized metallic box. It was secured with an electronic lock requiring a numeric passcode.
"What could the passcode possibly be..." Aaron murmured.
He typed several combinations into the keypad. He tried Eve's birthday... his own birthday... their mother's birthday. Having tried numerous combinations to no avail, he let out an irritated sigh and paused.
A faint voice echoed from behind him: "It’s Yohan’s birthday."
Aaron turned around sharply, startled, but completely calmed down the moment his eyes fell on Eve.
A gentle smile touched Eve's lips as she stepped closer, teasing softly, "Scared you, didn't I, little thief?"
Aaron stood up from the chair to face his sister. "Is the passcode really Yohan’s birthday?"
"Yes," she replied.
"My phone's passcode is his birthday too," Aaron whispered faintly.
"Then go ahead and open it, thief."
"I won't," Aaron said, shaking his head. "I was only going to open it out of curiosity about something... but since you're here, I'll just ask you directly. Eve... is this Institution still registered under your name? Are you still its owner?"
Eve smiled, stepping forward to pick up the metal box. She pressed a sequence of numbers, and the latch clicked open. She pulled out a stack of official documents and handed them to Aaron. "Look."
Aaron took the papers; his suspicions were proven entirely correct.
“The Eve Institution — Property of Bruno.”
Eve pulled the documents gently from Aaron's hands, placing them back inside the box. "I simply returned it to its rightful owner, nothing more."
Aaron kept his eyes lowered for several long seconds. When he finally looked up at Eve, his voice was steady. "So... all that's left for Uncle is to reclaim the Commercial Complex and the Fertilizer Factory... Brilliant work, Eve."
Eve's eyes widened in sheer surprise, her tone turning eager. "Did you just say brilliant work? I thought you'd be upset... Or is it because you've come to hate Father as well?"
Aaron smiled faintly, looking straight into his sister's eyes. "I've officially become a part of Uncle Bruno’s gang, and I wanted to tell—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Eve threw her arms around him, pulling him into a fierce embrace. "Finally... that day has come!"
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She pulled back, a radiant smile gracing her face, her expression overflowing with pure joy.
These questions had haunted Aaron relentlessly. Though he had asked Eve countless times before, she had always dodged them, deftly shifting the subject. But this time, he knew she would answer.
Aaron reached out, placing his hands firmly on Eve’s arms. His expression turned dead serious as he pressed his questions.
"Eve... why were you defending Uncle Bruno all this time? Did you know about Father’s actions? Did you hate Father because of what he did to Albert... You’ve hated him for a very long time, I've noticed it clearly. Won't you please tell me why?"
Eve took a deep, shaky breath, her tone dropping to a quiet calm. "You are helping Uncle because you want to complete Ari’s revenge in your own way. And I... I am helping Uncle to get my own revenge."
"Revenge for whom?" Aaron asked.
"For Yohan."
Aaron’s eyes widened. He pulled his hands back from her arms, his voice laced with confusion. "For Yohan?"
"Yes..." Eve whispered. "After the explosion in the forest, Yohan went missing—or died... we still don't know. Uncle got divorced from his wife, Madeleine. He was slapped with countless accusations and cast out of the family. That picture-perfect family I belonged to was utterly destroyed."
Tears began to glisten in Eve's eyes as she continued, "Wasn't our family perfect? I used to wake up in that vast mansion like a spoiled princess, envied by everyone for every tiny detail of her life. I used to wander through the estate, visiting every single corner. Everything was filled with happiness... but true joy was watching you and Yohan play in the outer garden... Yohan’s bright smile, and Uncle Bruno joining in on our games."
Tears slipped down Aaron’s cheeks as he listened to her words... Those memories... who could ever forget them?
Eve continued, trying to wipe away the tears blurring her vision, "What happened after that explosion... the mansion turned into an absolute hell that burned me just to exist in. I was a child who knew nothing... until I accidentally overheard a conversation between my father—or rather, Conar. Father is a word reserved only for those who deserve it. It was a conversation between him and his friend, Robert. I heard it clearly... I swear to you, I heard him confess that he was the one who orchestrated the factory explosion. I heard him say that Yohan’s death worked out in his favor... He was laughing happily, like a demon witnessing his own victory. But a demon will never win, Aaron."
Aaron stumbled back a few steps, sinking heavily into the chair. Was his father responsible for that, too?
Everything... everything was his doing, planned entirely by his hands!
Eve continued, "When Uncle left, I stayed locked in my room—you remember that phase of my life well. I was ashamed of myself, hunted by dark nightmares every single night. Yohan burning... I saw Yohan burning before my eyes every night I closed them. It went on and on... Then I tried to move past it, and I succeeded, thanks to God and then to you... But I found no peace until I met Bruno and told him everything. That was when Bruno decided to do what he is doing now."
Aaron’s face looked ghostly pale, and Eve’s features were drained, her eyes bloodshot. She had just dragged herself back through the darkest period of her life.
Aaron pushed himself up from the chair, preparing to leave, a cold detachment washing over his features. Eve grabbed his hand tightly. "Where are you going?"
Aaron closed his eyes firmly, then opened them again. "I’m going out to get some fresh air."
Eve let go of his hand, and Aaron walked out of the office with rapid, urgent strides. He looked furious—like a man ready to set the whole world ablaze.
At the outer gate, Clarity stopped him after noticing his presence.
Clarity approached, asking dubiously, "Don't tell me you're headed to the gang's headquarters?"
Aaron tried to mask his rage. "Yeah, I am."
"Wait a second!"
Clarity ran over to the garden where his bag was sitting, pulled out a pair of sunglasses and a face mask, then hurried back to hand them to Aaron. "You said you were becoming part of the gang, so no one should recognize your identity... Everyone in that building knows who you are."
Aaron took the sunglasses and mask, putting them on before slicking his front bangs back. Clarity’s face broke into a broad smile. "Oh my goodness, who are you? I don't know you at all!"
Aaron smiled faintly beneath his mask, reaching out to gently pat Clarity's hair. "Thank you."
Clarity huffed in annoyance, "Are you treating me like a kid? You're not that much older than me... maybe four years at most!"
Aaron turned and walked away while Clarity returned to his work.
Inside the gang's headquarters, the spacious main hall was tense.
In the center of the room sat two men tied to chairs, their faces battered and bruised.
Jake stood facing them, with Bruno standing right beside him. "Boss, you might not recognize them with their faces beat up like this. The one with brown hair is Apollo, and the one with black hair is that rat who was communicating with our enemies."
Bruno remarked with bored indifference, "They both look like they have brown hair to me, or maybe their heads are just covered in so much dirt that I can't tell the difference anymore... Whatever."
Bruno stepped closer, turning to Jake. "Apollo... toss him into the building's solitary cell. And our sweet little rat... untie him and bring him up to my room. I want to use him to play a little game with Conar."
Finishing his sentence, Bruno walked outside. He was finally able to get up and leave that room, desperate to take a deep breath and see the outside world.
The moment he stepped out of the building, he froze. Aaron was standing right in front of him.
Bruno stepped closer, asking, "Who are you?"
Aaron whispered softly under his breath, "I'm sorry, Ari... but I'm going to avenge myself first... then I will avenge you."
Bruno stopped in front of Aaron. Aaron pulled off his mask and sunglasses, revealing his face clearly.
Then, without warning, Aaron lunged forward and pulled Bruno into a tight, desperate embrace, repeating, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Uncle."
A faint smile touched Bruno’s lips despite the clear surprise on his face. He spoke in a low voice, "Didn't I tell you to skip this whole apologizing phase?"
Aaron continued, tears finally spilling from his eyes, "I'm sorry for what Conar did to you... and for what he did to Yohan."
Bruno’s tone turned quiet and soft. "That rebellious girl, Eve..."
Bruno tried to push Aaron back slightly, but Aaron held on tightly, refusing to let go. Bruno sighed, "Are you doing this because you're crying? You don't want me to see your tears?"
"I'm not crying."
"Then pull back a bit... I'm starting to suffocate. What if one of my men walks out right now? They think I'm someone who shouldn't even be touched!"
Aaron smiled through his tears, wiping his eyes. "Are you saying you're afraid your ruthless image will be shattered in front of them?"
"Yes... exactly. So back off a little."
Aaron stepped back, his eyes thoroughly reddened.
Bruno lightly patted Aaron’s shoulder. "Don't apologize, Aaron. You aren't responsible for anything that happened in the past, or anything happening now. So don't blame yourself. And besides... I'm not some weak person who accepts injustice and sits around waiting for help... I will take back my rights and my revenge, even if it costs me my life."