Chapter 12 — The Guest of Honor

The abandoned warehouse stood alone at the edge of the industrial district. Broken windows lined its rusted metal walls, while weeds pushed through cracks in the concrete. The setting sun painted everything in shades of crimson.

Roland landed heavily on the roof before jumping down toward the warehouse entrance. His breathing was ragged; he had crossed half the city in less than four minutes.

He pushed open the large metal doors.

Creeeak...

The sound echoed through the enormous building.

Silence greeted him.

The warehouse was almost completely dark, with only pale moonlight entering through the shattered ceiling high above. Dust floated lazily through the narrow beams of light as Roland slowly stepped forward, his eyes scanning every corner.

"...Greed."

His voice echoed through the warehouse.

"I know you're here."

A cheerful clap suddenly answered him.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

"My, my..."

"What wonderful timing."

A familiar feminine voice echoed from above.

Roland's eyes immediately turned upward.

Standing beneath the moonlight, balanced effortlessly atop a stack of old shipping containers, was Greed. Her enormous crimson twin ponytails gently swayed behind her, and her black sailor uniform looked immaculate.

She smiled as always.

That impossibly wide delighted smile.

Those narrow delighted eyes.

She clapped happily.

"You made it!"

"I was beginning to think you'd be late!"

Roland's fists trembled.

"...Where..."

"...is my family?"

Greed placed one hand against her cheek dramatically.

"Awww..."

"Straight to business?"

"You've become sooo boring."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from NovelPhoenix; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She gracefully jumped from the containers. Instead of simply falling, she spun through the air like a dancer before landing softly on the concrete floor without making a sound.

Then she began walking toward Roland with exaggeratedly feminine movements, every step playful and theatrical.

"Don't be angry yet."

She giggled.

"You're the guest of honor."

She spread both arms.

"I worked sooo hard preparing this party just for you."

Roland's voice became colder.

"...Where."

"...Are."

"...They?"

Greed blinked innocently.

"Oh!"

"Right!"

"I almost forgot!"

She pointed dramatically toward the darkest corner of the warehouse.

"There they are!"

Roland immediately turned.

His heart nearly stopped.

His wife and little daughter sat on the cold concrete floor with their hands tied behind their backs. More than twenty small black goblins slowly circled them like hungry wolves, growling quietly as they watched their captives.

One careless movement, and they would attack.

His daughter burst into tears.

"D-Daddy!!"

His wife looked up.

"Roland!"

Relief and terror filled her eyes at the same time.

Roland instinctively stepped forward.

"DON'T MOVE!"

One goblin snarled loudly as its claws moved closer to his daughter's neck.

Roland froze.

"...Damn you..."

He glared at Greed with pure hatred.

"You bastard."

Greed simply smiled.

"Hehehe..."

"There it is."

"My favorite face."

She began happily twirling around the warehouse.

"You've always been sooo sweet whenever you got angry."

Roland's jaw tightened.

"...Stop talking like you know me."

Greed ignored him.

"When somebody got hurt..."

"You'd yell."

"When somebody cried..."

"You'd yell even louder."

She stopped dancing.

"And whenever you felt guilty..."

"You always said things you didn't really mean."

Roland's eyes widened slightly.

Greed tilted her head.

"Remember Chicago?"

Everything stopped.

Chicago.

The name alone sent a chill through Roland's body.

A memory forced itself into his mind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smoke filled the air. Buildings had collapsed, fires burned through the streets, and Roland desperately dug through mountains of rubble with his bare hands.

Somewhere beneath the broken concrete, a little girl was crying.

He finally found her hand.

"...Almost..."

"...Just a little more..."

Then—

The building collapsed.

The little girl's voice disappeared forever.

Hours later, back at headquarters, Saki tried to comfort him.

"It wasn't your fault."

Roland pushed her away.

"Shut up!"

Sakura nervously approached.

"We..."

"We know you did everything—"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

He had shouted at both of them, his words cruel enough to make Sakura cry.

He regretted them immediately.

Then someone quietly walked toward him.

Taichi.

The youngest Braver gently placed a hand on Roland's shoulder. He didn't lecture him or tell him to calm down.

Instead, he simply smiled sadly.

"It's okay to be angry."

Roland looked at him through tear-filled eyes.

Taichi continued.

"Sometimes..."

"Being angry is the only way to let the pain start coming out."

Roland collapsed to his knees and cried like a child.

Taichi stayed beside him the entire time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The memory vanished.

Roland stared at Greed, his breathing becoming uneven.

"...How..."

His voice trembled.

"...How do you know that?"

Only the Bravers had witnessed that moment. No reports existed, no cameras had recorded it, and there had been no other witnesses.

Just six friends.

Greed slowly walked closer until only a few steps separated them. Then she placed both hands behind her back and leaned forward playfully, her delighted smile somehow widening even further.

"Because..."

She giggled.

"...I'm your bestie."

She spun once, her crimson twin ponytails circling around her, before bowing dramatically.

"That's right!"

She looked directly into Roland's eyes.

"I'm your bestie..."

"...Taichi."

She laughed happily.

"Reborn as the cutest Witch of Greed!"

Silence.

The warehouse became completely still. Roland's eyes shook violently as his wife stared at Greed in disbelief. Even the goblins had stopped growling.

"...No..."

Roland whispered.

"...No..."

His legs almost gave way beneath him.

"...Taichi...?"

Greed happily nodded.

"That's me!"

She spread both arms proudly.

"I finally became free!"

She spun across the warehouse like a ballerina.

"My old life..."

"My responsibilities..."

"My worries..."

"They're all gone!"

She laughed.

"Hehehehehe!"

"I'm soooo much happier now!"

Roland could only stare.

His best friend.

His teammate.

The boy he had sworn to protect.

He was standing before him and smiling, yet there was nothing familiar left in those eyes.

Only joy.

Twisted, cruel, endless joy at the suffering of others.

His wife suddenly cried out.

"Taichi!"

Tears filled her eyes.

"What happened to you?!"

"We can fix this!"

"We'll find a way!"

"The others—"

"The others will help!"

Greed stopped dancing and looked toward Roland's wife.

Then she burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Ahahahahahaha!"

She laughed so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes.

"...Help?"

She smiled brightly.

"Oh..."

"That's adorable."

Her voice remained cheerful, almost affectionate.

"There isn't anything left to fix."

"I don't want friendship."

"I don't want to be saved."

"I don't even remember what being human felt like."

She tapped her chest.

"There's not even a tiny little piece of Taichi left inside here."

She said it so happily that Roland finally understood.

His friend was gone.