Chapter 6 - 5. The Red of Withered Grass
The first time Zen met the twins was also the first time he saw his father again after such a long time. The man had dumped his baby self to the grandma to be taken care of, and only came back once in a while to check on him.
Not checking whether he was alright, but checking if he was awakened yet. He knew later that his mother was a guide, and had long died giving birth to him.
When he did awaken as a guide, his father came with a woman and two toddlers, dumped the toddlers to the grandma again, and took him to a scary building.
Well, his child self thought it was scary at that time, with all the espers looking at him like he was an object of interest. Or merchandise to be sold. Maybe because he was. He realized immediately that he was being sold—his ability, at least.
He had to prove he was worthy first, and had to endure harsh scrutinizing for a year, before Umbra decided they were satisfied and bought him. The contract money, obviously, went into his father's pocket, along with the woman who was supposedly the twins' mother. And then they were gone, leaving Zen with two toddlers.
Zen had never seen the man since.
He hated the twins, at first, even while he decided to keep them inside the small, empty house. The twins looked like his father, from the black hair to the grey eyes, to the contour of their faces. Except for the black hair, they looked nothing like Zen, who resembled his mother more.
He treated them with indifference; taking care of them was just his way of proving that he wasn't like that man. But no matter how cold and harsh he acted, the twins were looking at him and following him like a pair of imprinted ducks.
It was annoying. It was adorable. It gave reason for Zen not to succumb to Umbra and other espers. Because his downfall would be theirs, too.
He didn't know since when, but he get used to them. He didn't even get mad when the twins brought him matching charms, made by the grandma who always took care of them. He obediently wore it as a necklace.
He stared at that charms now, circling his brothers' wrists as bracelets. It was just simple beads, shaped like droplets of water, because everyone had been saying Zen's eyes looked like a pair of lakes. Not that they ever saw any bodies of water in this place. And the twins had painstakingly carved their names on that tiny beads.