— PAIN FROM THE PAST —

One time, Quan had committed a crime.

At that time, Quan Durbysch was seven years old. One night, Quan woke up because she heard a noise at downstairs. Quan thought they were her parents, but she was surprised because the mother suddenly sounded screaming as if scared. Her parents never fought before.

Quan was curious and finally came out of the room that she left dark so she wouldn't be found out. Quan closed the door carefully. Secretly she peeked through the grating of the stairs.

Little Quan gasped slowly.

She saw that there were five people in black robes in the living room. They held a kind of dark spiky object, and surrounded her mother, who was sitting scared on a long sofa.

 Quan wanted to help, but she was too afraid. She wondered where her father and brothers were now. Quan bit her lip, holding back sobs and the desire to call anyone to immediately help her mother.

 Quan's mother looked at the swarms of black clothes one by one, and said in a trembling, clear voice. “There isn't anyone named Zanxer here. Please, go! You got the wrong information!”

A deep voice chuckled. “Is that so, Mrs. Eva? I'm sure you understand what I mean by this Zanxer.”

Quan couldn't see who was talking, because their faces were covered with masks. But her mother suddenly looked at someone right in front of her.

“You!” groans mother Quan angry.

The heavy voiced man laughed cynically. “Yes, me. I'm sorry I have to do this, Eva. What can I do? After all, this is my job.”

The man stepped forward and approached the poor woman suddenly. The man's heavy voice gripped Mrs. Eva's jaw. Quan withheld the call "Mom" which was at the tip of the tongue. Instead, she bit her inner cheek slightly stronger than she wanted.

“Tell me right now,” growled the Heavy-Sounded Man. “Where did you put the Zanxer?!”

“I—argh—don't—know,” said Mrs. Eva gasping.

“All right,” said the man with a heavy voice.

The man released his grip roughly and retreated. Everything happened so fast.

Another man who was beside the sofa wiped the spiky object he was carrying into Mrs. Eva's right hand. Quan gasped, so did Mrs. Eva who was injured.

The black blooded wound looked deep and painful, but Mrs. Eva persisted. The woman's white skin paler.

“If you say that, you will die.” The man with a deep voice was mocking. “Besides, I know you're lying. One of my Argas made the mistake of saying that there would be a Daga who would be assigned to bring Zanxer to a hiding place. We killed that Daga, without knowing that the one who was assigned was you. Is that right, Eva the Vocaship's right hand?”

Mrs. Eva's breathing became more irregular. The look in her eyes looked even more horrified than before.

“How did you … ” Mrs. Eva stammered, “how can ….”

“That's you, then,” said the man. “Not surprising. Our guesses are usually almost always right. You know, right? Lor's eyes and everything.”

Mrs. Eva snorted. “All of you? From the Lor Organization? I will never believe!” Quan's mother shook her head vigorously and exclaimed loudly. “For whatever sake, I won't tell you the place! I'd rather die than give Zanxer to you!”

The Heavy Voice sighed. "Whatever you say, Eva.”

Suddenly, a man who standing next to the Heavy Sound jabbed his weapon. The cone weapon was stuck right in Mrs. Eva's chest, making the woman gasp.

No! Inner Quan shouted.

“MOM!”

Quan stood up so suddenly and ran down the stairs as fast as she could. The assassin plotters below looked so shocked that they did nothing.

“Mommy!”

Quan called out to her mother in a panic, sobs pushed out of her throat.

“I'm not your mother, stupid!”

That scream stopped Quan immediately on the last step. At that time Quan didn't really understand what she meant.

Mrs. Eva tried to say with difficulty, “I love you, Quan, but I'm not your mother. Go away, or you have to go with them. That's the only choice right now. Whichever path you choose, promise me to stay alive!”

Her mother's words seemed an unreasonable threat to Quan. Mrs. Eva gulped once, then suddenly fell silent. Not moving at all. Her eyes opened pitifully. Gloomy, black blood melts staining Quan's father's favorite white couch.

“Mom … ” sobbed Little Quan sadly.

Quan looked at the herd of murderers in front of her. Their eyes and masks are white in a disgusting blue pattern. Quan hates them.

A man with a deep voice gives orders to his flock. “Catch her.”

Quan didn't want to go with them at all. She did her mother's advice first.

The girl ran away.

Quan escaped through the side door and continued to run without looking back. Tears flowed without being dammed.

She was so scared, but at the same time angry. Her chest felt full and hurt. She didn't know who to be angry with.

To the herd, to her mother, to the world, to whom? Once, Quan turned around and saw that her house was brightly lit.

The evil flock has set fire to her beloved home.

Quan looked back at the front and continued to run until it felt very far away, only to find the vanity.

The girl stopped suddenly in a breathless state, felt very intimidated, and just realized that she was already in the middle of the forest; not in the middle of the city crowd.

The sound of rustling and broken branches trampled startled her. One by one, they came out of the shadows of darkness. Quan didn't know what to do.

She is afraid. And surrounded.

“What do you want?!” she cried, trembling with the remnants of a child's shakenness.

Someone laughed. The others said in a persuasive voice. “Sweet child, how about you come with us? You must like being there. Your life will also not be in vain like your stepmother.”

The man extended his hand to Quan within less than two fathoms. Quan hates their words.

“I don't want to go with the person who killed my mother! I don't want to!”

A moment of silence.

“Catch and bring her to headquarters!”

 The order made Quan so angry that she breathed heavily. Fog like curling in her head and eyesight.

Who are they to decide how she will live? Who are they to force her? Who are they to kill her mother for granted, even if she is not Quan's biological mother?!

For God's sake, she's only seven years old! What is so wrong about living a free life?!

The herd's movements suddenly stopped, as if they were shocked. That's good, because Quan's vision suddenly goes dark. But that didn't last long.

 The darkness was exposed, even Quan could see them more clearly. Her body seemed to boil. It feels so hot.

She screamed with all her might, making the herd recede a few steps back.

“What is this?! Catch, or kill this Little Ant!”

Quan refused to be called an ant. For God's sake, she hated them.

The little girl roared like a small animal who was not willing to die. Quan imagined they died in her own hands.

She killed them in her imagination. She threw the herd one by one until they hit the trees. Or Quan thought she did so.

Basically Quan howled like crazy. She is like a possessed person. Even so, she felt something was strange. What is that, Quan feels inquisitive and uncaring. That's not the most important.

After a while, Quan stopped due to exhaustion. Her tears rose again with painful sobbing on her neck. Darkness rolled up the girl's eyes again. She heard many voices in the distance.

 Why didn't they come when her mother hadn't been killed? Where is Dad and the two Quan brothers actually located? Are they hiding? The questions haunted Quan, overwhelming her.

Quan gasped. There are steps approaching. Surely the killers are still here. The girl laughed ironically and felt silly. She just imagined killing them; why does she think it will come true?

Quan grabbed a black weapon belonging to one of those under her feet. How the weapon could be near her, she didn't want to bother to just think about it.

She snatched blindly because darkness still enveloped her eyes. They shouted in pain, but their screams were strange. Like a child screaming.

Like Quan' voices.

Quan panted and sat down. Slowly her eyesight became clear, literally.

Those who had just been attacked by Quan were two of her friends. Quan guessed they wanted to stop her from becoming a murderer. 

 Quan gurgled again, this time holding back sobs. She glanced around. There were many people carrying torches, and among them were Quan's father, and Ga and Ev; the two of Quan' brothers. Their faces were bruised as if someone had just been beaten. They looked at their sister in horror.

Quan trying to defend herself in silence, that she accidentally hurt her two friends.

After all, they didn't die, Quan thought then.

But it seems that the Quan family doesn't mean the two Quan friends, but the people behind her. Quan turned around so quickly, afraid the herd would try to catch her again.

The next thing that happened was that Quan almost screamed.

The killer herd is now died and torn to shreds. The color of their white blood tells Quan that they are White People. All of them.

Quan bowed her head, either fascinated or frightened, with white blood splattered on her body. Her hands were wet with the sticky liquid. A head suddenly rolled near her feet. 

Now Quan really screamed. She inched back in horror. Again, Quan sobbed miserably, and at that moment the citizens approached her. The Quan family embraced and calmed her down.

“Forgive us, Quan.” Ga whispered. “We were attacked halfway, and held captive. Forgive us. Sorry.”

Quan can only cry again. The father calms her down. He said that she didn't need to worry. The herd is evil, the father said, and after all she couldn't control her strength.

But Quan didn't even pay attention to their words. After all, she had killed a flock of White People.

Brutally.

If Quan just obeyed and went with the flock, maybe she didn't need to kill, no matter how good her purpose was. They don't need to die. They even asked nicely.

This is all wrong. There must be something wrong.

But her revenge was easily repaid. Quan tried to amuse herself with those words. Try to lie to herself.

Quan secretly apologized to her mother silently. Forever, this event will always be remembered by the seven-year-old girl.

Because, little Quan has killed people.