A Mistake

"Sei... why did you...?" Rei stammered, tears streaming down his face. "He is your own mother! Your... own..." he struggled to find the right words, overcome with emotion.

"I think this is fate, Rei." Sei replied, his voice calm and composed. "I'm just doing what I must."

"You... heartless bastard." Rei spat, his voice laced with hatred.

"That's a cruel thing to say to your own son." Sei replied, unfazed.

"You are not the one to speak of that." Rei retorted, his tears now subsided, replaced by burning anger.

"It was a mistake to let me live, Rei," Sei said, a twisted smile played across his lips as he took pleasure in the pain he knew his words would cause. He had no regret for the actions he had taken, his heart was cold, black and full of only malice.

Rei was consumed by a whirlwind of emotions: anger, disappointment, betrayal, and sadness. He knew Sei didn't see any wrong in his actions, that he believed he was simply carrying out some greater destiny. Sei couldn't help but notice Rei's gaze darting to where his sword lay, and the flicker of satisfaction in his eyes as he realized Rei had noticed. He finds the various human reactions amusing, and always seek anger, confusion, sadness and betrayal.

"Well then, Rei. It appears I must take my leave." Sei said coolly, his gaze fixed on his father.

"You will not escape unpunished for this!" Rei exclaimed, his eyes widening in anger as he lunged towards Sei, arm outstretched in an attempt to grab him.

But Sei was too quick, expertly sidestepping Rei's grasp and counterattacking with a swift kick, imbued with just enough power to knock Rei off his feet. With a smirk on his face, Sei calmly turned on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving his fallen father behind. As Sei closed the door behind him, the unmistakable ringing sound of a sword being dropped echoed through the room, signaling the weight of his treachery. The sound of Sei's footsteps could be heard as he made a hasty retreat, his running footsteps growing more and more distant as he fled the scene.

Rei, now standing, made his way to the lifeless body of Lifae. He reached out and grasped her cold, limp hands in his own.

"Lifae, I'm so sorry," he choked out, as a fresh wave of tears spilled down his face.

After a while, he could hear a lot of people calling for him, with a loud voice.

As time passed, the sound of many voices calling out to him grew louder and more insistent.

"Open up!"

"Rei!"

"Stop what you're doing right now!"

Confused, Rei emerged from the room and laid eyes upon his sword, discarded carelessly on the ground. He casually picked it up and continued on his way, making his way to the door. As he opened it, he was met with the faces of his villagers.

"What's happening here?" Rei asked, his expression befuddled.

"Don't play dumb!"

"We know what you've done!"

Bewildered, Rei repeated his question, but the villagers were quick to notice the blood that stained his hands and the sword he held.

"You attacked your own wife and son!" one villager exclaimed, the others joining in a chorus of anger and outrage.

With a cry of fury, one of the villagers lunged forward, striking Rei with a powerful punch to the face. Rei stumbled but maintained his footing, his expression shifting to one of annoyance as the villagers descended upon him, raining blows upon him until he finally fell into unconsciousness. Some of the villagers streamed into Rei's room, seeking answers and evidence of his actions.

The villagers were horrified as they discovered the corpse of Lifae. Her body lay still, her eyes wide open and unseeing, a deep gash across her throat where she had been brutally killed by sword. The air around her was thick with the metallic smell of blood and death. Some of the villagers couldn't even stomach the sight and turned away, unable to look at the gruesome scene any longer.

As for Rei, he awoke in an underground prison, his body wracked with pain. Every muscle and joint ached, and it felt as though a thousand knives were piercing through his flesh. He opened his eyes slowly, his vision blurry and distorted, his head throbbing with a steady pulse. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, the shadowy figure of a man came into focus, staring down at him before running away.

When Rei finally managed to struggle out of the underground prison, he was dragged by the villagers to a platform where they put his head in a hole, which he realized was guillotine. His mind raced as he understood his fate, his expression contorting with fear and desperation. He fought against his captors with every ounce of strength he had left, but it was in vain. His bruised and weakened body was no match for the group of villagers holding him. As they placed the blade of the guillotine against his neck, his eyes widened, and his heart pounded frantically in his chest, knowing that this was the end of his life.

As the blade of the guillotine began its descent towards his neck, Rei's mind was consumed by a maelstrom of emotions. Fear and despair washed over him in equal measure as he caught a glimpse of his own son, Sei, standing among the crowd of villagers. The sight of Sei's twisted, gleeful expression filled Rei with a deep, gut-wrenching sense of betrayal.

His heart felt heavy, and his chest constricted with intense sadness. His mind struggled to comprehend how his own flesh and blood could turn on him in such a manner. His eyes widened in terror as the reality of his impending death hit him. He could feel the tears forming in the corners of his eyes, blurring his vision as the sharp blade descended towards him.

His muscles tensed, as he fought against the binding ropes that held him in place, trying to escape the inevitable, but his efforts were in vain, as the group of villagers were too strong. He could feel the beads of sweat rolling down his face, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as the blade neared his neck. He felt his world closing in around him, the screams of terror and grief echoed in his mind and his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

In this final moment, as the blade nearly severed his life, Rei couldn't help but let out a final, anguished scream, filled with all the pain, sadness, and despair that consumed him. Rei's screams echoed through the crowd. The blade, honed to a razor-sharp edge, sliced through the air with a deadly whisper. In a final moment of desperation, Rei closed his eyes and braced for the worst.

The blade made contact with his neck, the force of the descent and the sharpness of the metal made the severing swift, almost effortless. The head fell from the body with a thud, a spray of blood misted out of the open neck, some drops were projected over the front row of the villagers who were there watching the execution. The head rolled a few inches away from the body, the eyes still open, the expression frozen in a mask of terror and despair. The body remained upright for a moment, held in place by the ropes, before collapsing to the ground, a lifeless heap.

The onlookers were horrified, some of them gasped, some of them looked away, unable to process what they had just witnessed. The silence was broken only by the sound of Rei's headless body hitting the ground and the distant cries of the seagulls.