Chapter 36: Origin (2)

If Rio had to choose between the events of his life on where was the huge turning point of everything, it would be when that happened.

At that time, he knew it was coming, but he didn't expect it would arrive far too sooner than he had imagined. And certainly not in a traumatic way he expected. Uhh

it was the event that shattered his grandieur illusions as a child. It was like a ticking time bomb that exploded before the timer ran out.

It was night that day. Like usual, he was alone in the house as he covered himself in a blanket while he lay down on the bed. The heavy rain outside, along with the sudden lightning strikes unnerved him.

Suddenly, he felt a tinge of hunger hit him as he layed on bed. He put his small hand in his heart as he took a deep breath and reassured himself, muttering. "It's okay...there's no scary monster out there. It's no problem."

Slowly, he rose up as he got away from the bed. He warily walked through the entire house as he made his way to the kitchen.

Crack!

A loud noise suddenly resounded, piercing his small ears as he suddenly panicked in confusion. He would have thought it was just the thunder, but there was a creaking sound of a door opening just right after. There was someone on the door.

'Are mum and dad here...?'

Rio thought as a small smile formed in his lips, he hoped they were. He had been waiting for them to arrive for a while now. He quickly stood up and made his way onto the living room to greet his parents.

Clap!

However, before he could even make his way onto the living room. A loud slapping sound suddenly echoed, making him retreat and stagger as he watched the scene infront of him unfold.

"How could you do this to me..!?" A woman with an appearance in her mid thirties asked, bumbling with rage and sadness as she looked at the man opposite of her.

The man, unable to reply, was silent as he simply stared at the woman. What happened has happened. He couldn't change anything from the past.

"Why can't you say something?!" The woman shouted as she grabbed the hand of the man.

"Unhand me, Maria!" The man answered as he shook his hand away from the woman.

"Then, talk to me why...Andrew!" Maria spread her arms, staring at the man infront of her.

"It was just a one time thing..." Andrew replied, averting his eyes in shame.

"Don't lie to me, cheating bastard!" Maria shouted as she gnashed her teeth. Her hand went on a fast arching motion as it slapped the man opposite of her.

Clap!

"Tsk!" Andrew held his reddening cheek as he clicked his tounge in annoyance. He grabbed the woman's arm as he stared at her, he spoke, "Look! It already happened! Just forget about it!"

"You...you..!" Maria withdrew her arm as she spoke, "You think it's that simple?! You cheated on me, with my friend no less!"

"Look," Andrew sighed as he raised his arms, "She invited me, okay? It was not my fault."

"You accepted!" Maria responded, raising her voice once more.

"I was drunk that night," Andrew replied as he took a step back "I wasn't able to think clearly..."

"After everything...I've done...you just.." Maria muttered, her eyes slowly losing reasoning, "You just...cheated on me?"

"Now, now, don't talk like you did something special out of this relationship." Andrew spoke, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the woman infront of him.

"I did!" Maria answered, "I did most of the work, and everything!"

"Don't lie to yourself," Andrew waved his hands in dismissal as he turned his back, "I did more than you have, so just forget it."

Maria was dead silent, her eyes losening reasoning as she kneeled down and take a small sharp tool in the table. Without hesitation, she rushed into Andrew and stabbed it at his back.

Suddenly, before he could react, he felt a piercing pain in his back.. A small scissor pierced right through his body, inflicting a large wound that heavily dripped blood.

"Argh!" Andrew shrieked in pain as he staggered in shock, his trembling hands pointed at Maria as he spoke, "You...crazy...woman..."

"Ha..ha.." Maria snapped out of her anger and staggered in shock. She looked at her hands that was covered with blood, she laughed with a tinge of madness, "Hahahahahaha...."

"What...have you...done...!" Andrew shouted as he fell down to the ground. He placed his hands to his back as he clutched the wound, "Call...a hospital...quick!"

Maria didn't reply as her eyes stared soullessly at her blood filled hands. She fell down in shock as she muttered, "It was an accident...it was an accident..."

Admist the horrifying scene and blood filled room, a child simply stared, scared and confused at the events that unfolded within his eyes, he spoke with a saddened and confused tone, "Mum...dad..?"

Andrew quickly shot open his drowsy eyes as he looked at where the sound came from, he spoke, "Son...? Call a hospital...quick!"

"H-huh?" Rio asked as he trembled from seeing blood dripped from the back of his dad. He looked at the eyes of his father and saw the desperation, anger and unwillingness in it. He nodded as he stood up, "A-alright, I will...I will.."

However, before he could run to the telephone, a soft and feminine hand grabbed his wrist tightly making him unable to move. He whimpered, "Ouch!"

Rio turned his back to see who was grabbing it, his head slowly turned around as it saw a familiar eye staring right back at him. At the eye, he felt the madness and desperation. He spoke as his voice trembled in horror, "...Mom?"

The all-familiar mother of his, who was usually a strict and disciplened person, was filled with madness and desperation. Maria stared at Rio as she muttered, "You...this is all your fault..."

"You ruined...everything!" Maria shouted as she tightened her grab once more, "You were a mistake! If you weren't born, maybe...I would still be happy and not stuck in this hellhole!"

"I'm sorry!" Rio whimpered as tears poured out his eyes. It hurts. The hand of his mother tightened in every passing second. He was terrified of his mother. She wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be kind and nice.

What was happening? Nothing made any sense. In that instance, a devil whispered in his mind, a horrid whisper that shattered the illusions that he desperately created.

'Everything finally broke apart. And you know what's the most interesting thing in all of this...?'

The devil whispered with a casual and mocking tone.

'It's all your fault, she said.'

And then, Rio screamed. His body shook as the world around him shattered, the blissful colorful house he envisioned turned into a pit of muddled hell. Everything...finally broke apart.

—

"Ha!" Rio shouted as he opened his eyes. He looked at his hands and panted, "Haa...haa..."

'It's all in the past, there's nothing to worry about.' Rio thought as he shook his head, clearing the thoughts inside his mind. He took a deep breath as he calmed himself.

"Now..." Rio nodded as he rose up and observed the surroundings, "Where am I?"

He looked at his surroundings. He was currently laying in a small and rough bed, near the bed was a fireplace, providing light and heat to the dim cold room.

"Oh right!" Rio shouted as realization struck to him. He raised his arms and stared at it, "I was in a cave before this..."

Right, the memories were coming together. He nodded as he tried to remember, he muttered, "I was searching for the inheritance of...Faust Strider, I think."

No, he was sure of it. He was in the cave earlier while he desperately walked through in it's hollow depths. Now, why was he here?

Rio thought of a possibility and chuckled, he stared emptily at the ceiling as he muttered, "Am I dead..?"

The notion of it happening wasn't really unrealistic as the cave sealed off everything in him, reducing him into a mere ordinary human that couldn't even properly breathe. There was also a force that kept pressuring his body and sucking away his magical energy.

He remembered, albeit vaguely, that at some point of his desperation he fell unconscious. Who knows what happened to him afterwards.

He didn't really like theorizing about the cause of his death, and he was quite bitter about him dying far earlier than he imagined. He expected that he would die at some point, but not this—

"No, you're not." A racuos voice suddenly resounded beside him, "You're very much alive. Alive as in, living, existing, breathing, you name it."

Rio jumped in suprise at the sudden voice. He didn't feel anything, nor did he saw someone when he was observing the room. He turned his head as he looked at the person beside him, "...Who are you?"

He looked at the person and noted his appearance. It was a man, a burly, muscular and tan skinned man. His ragged and messy shoulder length hair flowed behind his head as both of his hands pressed around his chest.

The man gave off an aura of a master, his rough hands were filled with scars, indicating the amount of battles and traning he had gone through.

"You came here and you don't even know me?" The man scoffed as he narrowed his eyes.

"...I came here for you?" Rio asked confused while he stared at the man. Suddenly, realization struck him as he asked, "Could it be...you're...?"

"Yup, right what you're thinking," The man nodded as he stood up and stared down at Rio, "The name is Faust, Faust Strider."