If one had to describe the feeling of losing someone important to them, they would say 'It's painful' or 'It's heart-wrenching', and it's indeed that horrible. However, what's even worse than death is betrayal.
When someone you trust destroys that link and stabs you in the back, that's when true pain emerges from within the darkness of your heart. That's when the darkest, most gruesome parts of humans appear. Now, what if both of these horrible things happen at the same time?
Well, that's how Mikayla felt at that moment. He felt as if the whole world was looming over him with a wide, evil grin, basking in his agony and bathing in his tears.
"To hell with this… To hell with it all." He murmured as he clenched his fists till blood came out.
"Old man…" Kaya crouched next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. A sad look was apparent on her face as she didn't find the words to console this broken soul. What happened to him in the last few days was already soul-crushing and now he had to deal with this.
Kaya wouldn't wish such things even upon her worst enemies.
Meanwhile, Charles watched that scene with a wide smile, as if it was the finale of a great movie or the last page of an epic story. Nobody would be able to understand how much fun he was having now.
The only one who wasn't affected by this situation was Kai. He simply eyed the trio from the side. This wasn't his time nor place to barge into this matter. Not that he had any interest in it.
"Oh, right, how can I forget? You're the legendary Black Phantom, right?" Suddenly, Charles turned around and looked at Kai. "I'm a huge fan of yours. You're truly a legend in our world."
He approached Kai and extended his hand for a handshake. Kai simply gave it a glance before he looked up again, not reciprocating the handshake.
"As cold as I heard. Well, may I know why you're attending my father's birthday?"
"Mutual interests," Kai replied coldly.
"Oh? So you're still in the game? Now that's some great piece of news right there! The Black Phantom is back in the underworld." Charles declared loudly as he extended his arms.
"How about we collaborate on something? You and I would be invincible. You have the power and I have the brain."
Kai looked at the man with a blank expression before he turned around and walked toward the door.
His eyes looked back at Kaya who secretly nodded at him. Then, Kai left the place. His job was done there.
"Hahaha, What a great guy!" Charles murmured with a mysterious look before he turned around and looked at Mikayla and Kaya.
"My condolences, father. I hope you won't beat yourself too much over it. After all, the one who killed him was me. This time, there is no doubt about it." He hinted.
However, the old man didn't reply as he simply sat there, looking at his dead friend.
"Just leave," Kaya said with a threatening tone. "Also, get rid of that weird stuff you have on your face. Hiding your swollen cheek would require more than just some chemical powder."
"Thanks to someone's help," Charles said before he also left.
That leaves Kaya and Mikayla alone in the hall. Neither of them spoke for a long while. But, when the silence was broken, it was Mikayla who spoke.
"Leave me alone."
"No, I know that you might do something rash. Listen to me, old man. Your mistakes are simply in the past. You always have a chance to fix them."
"Just… Just leave me alone." Mikayla replied. "I will be fine."
Kaya probed his eyes for a few seconds before she sighed and gave up. Standing up, she approached the exit before she turned around and said.
"Even though it might not seem like much. You're a good father in my eyes."
Leaving those words behind, Kaya left the old man alone, to mourn his mistakes.
***
Kaya then returned to her room in the hotel. There, she found Kai cooking dinner in the kitchen. Her eyes sparkled with a myriad of emotions as she admired his silhouette.
"You had it all figured out from the start, didn't you?" She said as she approached him and hugged him from the back, pressing her chest against his broad back.
"I don't know what you mean."
"You said that you simply had a hunch that Sebastian was the one behind all of it. But, I know that isn't the truth. You were certain that it was Sebastian, weren't you?"
"..." Kai didn't reply as he continued cooking but Kaya understood that she had hit the bullseye.
"Why is that? Was his hatred really that apparent in his eyes?"
"Yes."
"Very perceptive."
"..."
"But, it's not just perception, is it?" Kaya asked with a knowing look.
Even though Kai hides away all of his emotions from people to the point where most believe that he is completely empty, Kaya and Eva are certain that it isn't the case. Kai did feel, probably more than most people. He just decided not to show it to anyone.
So, the two of them learned to read the subtle expressions that he shows from time to time. This was one such case.
"I know hatred when I see it," Kai replied.
"Is that so?" Kaya murmured in response as she closed her eyes and buried her face in Kai's nape, inhaling his smell as if it were the most amazing drug. Just his mere presence calmed her down, so his smell engulfed her whole being with warmth unlike anything else.
'You're almost too good to be true, my love. What great fits did I do in my previous life to get rewarded with you in this one?' She asked herself as a small smile appeared on her face.
The two stayed in that position for a while before Kaya spoke again. "Thank you… For saving my father and thank you for everything you've done for me. You're truly my miracle, Kai."
Then, with a kiss on the cheek, Kaya walked to the sofa, sat down, and continued watching Kai cook. This has been and will always be her favorite thing to watch. His skillful hands as they moved left and right captivated her.
As they were like that, Kai heard his phone ringing so he stopped his cooking and walked toward it. Seeing that it was Eva, he answered. Eva had called him every day in the last week. They have a small conversation, no big matters. However, Kai knew that Eva had returned to the cabin today so the fact that she called him means that something must've happened.
"Yeah," Kai replied as he listened to Eva.
A few seconds later, his eyes squinted before he murmured. "What?"
Then, he went silent again till the conversation ended and he hung up. Then, he looked at Kaya and said.
"Pack your things. We will go back now." He said with a small frown.
Something weird had happened back at the cabin. Something that he almost thought sounded like a joke from Eva. Alas, Kai had long realized that his life was too rediculous for anything bizarre to be a joke.