The Rise Of Snowflake

Uche tilted his head, his intense gaze meeting Kante's eyes, who immediately looked away, refusing to hold eye contact. A small, knowing smile spread across Uche's face as he spoke with quiet conviction.

"You see, we're not the same. We never could be."

Uche said with a faint smile. He leaned forward as much as his restraints allowed, his voice growing more intense.

"Sure, I love making music, and you're drawn to art. You say we're both hiding from the world, but here's the difference: I hide because I don't want to be used by your kind. You hide because your twisted ego demands it. And let's not kid ourselves—the only reason the cops are after you is because of the chaos you leave in your wake, while they're after me because of the strings you pulled behind the scene."

Kante's face turned cold, but Uche didn't falter, his voice steady.

"Maybe you're exactly what the world wants—a person who manipulates everything and everyone around him. I'll even give you credit: tricking the cops, outsmarting an entire ring of organ traffickers, all of it just to trap me here… It's impressive."

Uche's smile deepened as he watched Kante, who was avoiding his gaze.

"You say we're the same, but then tell me, why do you take pleasure in killing? What fun do you have in killing people everyday."

Kante's eyes flickered with something darker, and he leaned against the table with a slight, bitter smile.

"You think I kill for fun?"

He laughed coldly, glancing at Uche.

"I don't kill people for fun. I kill because it's all I've ever known. Maybe you'll understand if I tell you a little story."

Kante's tone became almost reflective as he spoke, as though each word was meant more for himself than anyone else.

"There was once a strange family, hidden from the rest of the world. They lived in complete seclusion, isolated from everyone else. They barely interacted with anyone, kept to themselves—an entire clan of them, bound by their own strict rules."

Kante paused, as if expecting Uche to ask something, but Uche just watched him silently, his face unreadable.

"You don't want to know why?"

Uche didn't say anything, and just look away, making Kante willingly continue.

"They lived apart because they had a very short lifespan. None of them lived beyond the age of twenty-five. Most didn't even make it that far. Marriages happened early—by fifteen or sixteen—to continue the bloodline, and they only married within their own family, ensuring no outsiders would have to grieve them."

Kante paused, his gaze growing distant.

"That was until the rise of a young guy, who claimed to not live by their rules, he wanted to experience the world outside, and he had fallen for a girl from outside the family."

A dark smile crossed Kante's face, his eyes glittering with disturbing pride.

"Ah, I love that guy."

"When they tried to stop him, this boy—just fifteen years old—wiped out his entire family. No one was spared. The family head, the elders, even children. He left no one alive. He killed the old, the young—even a woman in labor. They were all obstacles in his path."

As Kante recounted the story, a chill filled the room. The other people present listened in uneasy silence, their faces pale.

"He left his family's corpse-littered home, married the girl he loved, and even had a son. Life was good for a time. But the man was haunted by his family's cursed lifespan, he could never shake the fear that his own son would suffer the same curse. And as the years went on, he began to understand why his ancestors had hidden themselves. He knew his death would leave his wife and son to suffer, not only that, but his son would also die young, leaving his wife mourning them both for the rest of her life."

"He realized the mistake he had made wiping out his own family, but it was too late, he couldn't bring them back, so his rage turned toward the world."

"He was like, 'If I'm going to die young, then I'll take as many people with me as I can.' His anger was only fueled by the sudden death of his beloved wife, who was killed by a group of gangsters after being raped."

"Fueled by his rage, he began to kill. He made it his mission to take as many lives as he could before his own short life was cut off. And he taught his son the same thing."

Kante's voice softened, almost reverent.

"He taught his son the way of bloodshed, the art of killing and named him 'Snowflake,' after the fragility of life itself. And when he died, his son carried on his legacy, spreading terror with the name 'Snowflake.' That son grew up with a single purpose—to keep killing, because he, too, would die young."

Uche's expression had shifted from detached indifference to something grimmer as he pieced together what Kante was truly saying.

He realized Kante is not the first Snowflake, he is the second, he's only carrying on his grandfather's legacy. That makes a lot of sense, the Snowflake phenomenon had started before Uche himself was born, and looking at the madman standing in front of him now, they would surely be around the same age.

'Interesting.'

"So that's what this is,"

Uche murmured, finally breaking the silence.

"Should I call it, The rise of Snowflake."

Kante smiled as if savoring Uche's reaction, then he continued.

"Well, you might say that, so sad you wouldn't live to tell the story."

He continued.

"I cultivate the art of killing, you could say it's all I've ever known. And I've killed more people than even my father or grandfather before me, and I'm just 19, funny right?

Do you want to know why I never thought of having a family of my own? I always thought I'd die at twenty-five, like the others, so I avoided having a family. I wanted this bloodline—this curse—to end with me."

His smile widened as he gaze landed on Uche.

"Then I learned about you,"

Kante continued, his eyes locking onto Uche, but made sure to avoid eye contact.

"An immortal body. A body that never decays, never truly dies. I was… fascinated. And I happened to have one of your eyes. Don't you see, Uche? With your body, your organs… I could finally live a long life, maybe even an eternal one. I could have a family and end this curse in a way my father and my ancestors never could."