The sun was setting on the horizon, painting the sky with orange hues as Sakolomé walked along the path back home. Beside him, Sally Liuly kept him company, her light steps contrasting with his thoughtful demeanor. The silence between them was peaceful, but Sakolomé couldn't help breaking the tranquility to learn more about this girl, so different from the others.
Sakolomé: "Uh... Sally Liuly, is that right?"
Sally turned her head towards him, a soothing smile illuminating her face.
Sally: "Yes, that's right."
Sakolomé: "You really are part of the Liuly clan?"
She nodded confidently, her gray eyes sparkling under the twilight.
Sally: "Of course. Do you think my eyes are fake? They're not contact lenses, you know. Among us Liuly, we all have these silver eyes. It's our distinctive mark."
Sakolomé (intrigued): "That's true... But I'm surprised. Normally, your family lives in Gu-HoiT City and avoids places like Monor City."
Sally shrugged slightly, a mischievous glint in her gaze.
Sally: "That's true. But I like to stray from the beaten path. I'm not like the other members of my family. And you, you're a killer man... but I doubt you're a killer or a criminal like your ancestors."
Sakolomé lowered his eyes slightly before nodding.
Sakolomé: "You're right... I'm not like them."
She stopped suddenly and turned towards him with palpable excitement.
Sally: "Tell me, Sakolomé, are you free tomorrow? Since there's no school, I'd like you to come over to my place!"
Sakolomé (hesitant): "Uh... I don't think I can come. I have a lot of training to do."
Sally's eyes sparkled with a playful light.
Sally: "That's exactly why I'm inviting you! If you train at home, then I'll come train with you!"
Sakolomé frowned slightly.
Sakolomé: "When I talk about training, I mean hand-to-hand combat... Not studying or anything else."
She burst into laughter before responding enthusiastically:
Sally: "But I'm talking about combat too!"
This time, Sakolomé opened his eyes wide.
Sakolomé: "You're kidding? You don't look like someone who fights."
She crossed her arms and fixed him with an enigmatic smile.
Sally: "People often say that. But never judge a person by their appearance. Combat is my passion. And believe me, I've done a lot of research on the subject. I know that you killer men are naturally very strong."
He remained silent for a moment before responding:
Sakolomé: "Hmm... Maybe."
She narrowed her eyes slightly and changed the subject abruptly.
Sally: "Tell me... Are you a believer?"
He nodded without hesitation.
Sally: "Ah! And do you believe in which God? God in general?"
This time, he shook his head to show his disapproval.
Sakolomé: "No. Among us, the Satsujin Otoko, we pray to a goddess."
Intrigued, Sally tilted her head slightly to the side.
Sally: "A goddess?"
He replied calmly:
Sakolomé: "Yes. The goddess Mü Thanatos."
The name seemed to awaken genuine curiosity in Sally.
Sally: "Mü Thanatos? Never heard of it. What is this goddess?"
He frowned slightly and retorted:
Sakolomé: "A bit of respect! It's not a 'what'."
She burst into laughter at his seriousness.
Sally: "Hahaha! You're so attached to this goddess that nobody has ever heard of!"
He sighed before continuing:
Sakolomé: "According to my father, Mü Thanatos is the one who saved humanity from the God of destruction and is the true creator of our world."
She raised an eyebrow skeptically.
Sally: "A God of destruction? Seriously? Do you think you're in a mythological legend or something?"
He shook his head with conviction.
Sakolomé: "It's true. Anyway, she's the one we pray to in my family. And you? Which God do you pray to?"
She replied with a hint of irony:
Sally: "We pray to God. The one and only creator of everything."
They continued walking in silence for a few moments until a group of young people blocked their path. It was Oscar and his usual gang.
Oscar stepped forward towards Sally and extended a hand with an arrogant smile.
Oscar: "Good evening Sally! How are you today?"
She cast an indifferent glance at his outstretched hand before pushing it away sharply.
Sally: "You're quite bold to greet me first when I'm with my boyfriend. Normally, you should greet my boyfriend before me!"
The words left Sakolomé speechless. Her boyfriend?
Oscar burst into mocking laughter:
"What? You mean Sakolomé is your boyfriend? This loser?!"
His friends also burst into laughter while Sakolomé raised his eyes to the sky with weariness.
But Sally didn't flinch:
"Yes! This 'pair of balls,' as you so elegantly put it, is much more of a man than you'll ever be."
Oscar lost his smile and launched a bitter remark:
"Seriously? Sakolomé better than me? Apart from having good grades to try to erase the criminal image of his family, he has nothing going for him! Sally... A girl like you deserves better than a descendant of criminals!"
As Oscar continued his speech filled with contempt, Sakolomé wondered internally how he had ended up in this absurd situation where he was suddenly Sally's self-proclaimed boyfriend.
Finally annoyed by Oscar's persistence, Sally grabbed Sakolomé's hand and declared coldly:
"If one day Sakolomé decides to kill me... How does it concern you? It's my life and not yours! So mind your own business if you have any!"
Furious at being humiliated in front of his friends, Oscar grabbed Sally's arm and said:
"Let's see if your boyfriend can defend you against us!"
Before Sakolomé could react, Sally slapped Oscar with incredible force, sending him flying into a nearby trash can.
A stunned silence fell over the group as Oscar's friends rushed to him in panic.
"Oscar, are you okay?"
"Hey Oscar, say something!"
"I'm dreaming or did a girl just knock him out?"
Impassive in the face of the scene she had just caused, Sally turned to Sakolomé and declared calmly:
"Let's go."
Without waiting for his response, she pulled him away from the chaos she had left behind.
Meanwhile, in an old and dilapidated neighborhood on the outskirts of Monor City, a woman with green hair walked down a long dark corridor. Her posture was straight and determined; each step resonated like a silent promise of imminent action.
She finally entered a spacious room where a large plasma screen dominated. Sitting in a luxurious chair was Gaïus – a man with black, spiky hair and black glasses – munching on chips while watching a movie.
The woman stopped in front of him and declared firmly:
"Mr. Gaïus... I'm here."
Gaïus slowly diverted his attention from the film to focus on her.
"Mmm... So Stella," he said calmly, placing his empty bag on the armrest of the chair. "Where are we with the Eradication project?"
Stella adjusted her glasses nervously before responding:
"Sir... The project is almost ready to begin. We estimate it will be operational in three months."
Gaïus narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this; his smile disappeared instantly as a menacing aura slowly emanated from him.
"Three months..." he murmured somberly before adding in a cold voice:
"And exactly how long could it take at most?"
Stella felt a cold sweat break out on her neck; she knew Gaïus was not a man to tolerate delays or inaccuracies. She responded quickly:
"I give you my word... Three months at most! With our recent progress and the new plan implemented... We could even go faster."
Gaïus's somber face brightened slightly; he sketched a satisfied smile before adding nonchalantly:
"Perfect... In that case, Stella... You remain useful."
Relieved but still tense from his oppressive presence, Stella nodded timidly as Gaïus slowly rose from the chair to approach her.
"Stella..." he said softly while advancing slowly towards her. "I know my methods may seem harsh, but understand me well..."
He stopped right in front of her before bringing his mouth close to her left ear to whisper softly but coldly:
"Don't hold it against me... Okay?"
Stella responded immediately despite her palpable fear:
"Yes, sir... I understand perfectly!"