Shattering Humanity-Chapter 326: "It Must Be Hard, Being The Eldest In Charge."
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Christ, the Righteous One.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers.
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.
Whoever says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.
But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Christ did.
Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.
Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.
Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.
But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them." 1 John 2:1-11
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Somewhere in the darkness, a crying child, pounding on a door can be heard.
Child’s Voice: "Mamaaaaa! Maamaaaaaa!"
The sounds of multiple sirens get closer, by all pass.
There is a smack against face.
A tough, agitated woman’s voice echoes throughout the dark nothingness.
There is the click of a lighter, then smoke being exhaled.
Woman’s Voice: *exhales* "Quiet down kid
I got neighbors that already hate my guts.
Nevermind when they find out I got two runts to look after now."
A deep exhausted sigh comes from the same woman.
...
Woman’s Voice: "Well, since your mom put me in charge of you, as of today, you can call me your Aunt.
Or a cunt, I really don’t care.
I have three rules;
Number One. There is absolutely no bitchin’. I mean it.
Number Two. You do what I tell you/Eat what I give you.
And Number 3. You are to shit and piss in the toilet. You’re fuckin old enough.
Other than that stay out of my hair until your 18 and I’ll give you a place to stay.
...
Oh yea, her...
She, is now your little sister, Silpheed.
Say hi Silph.
...
Her father left her here once he realized what she was.
He’s a blatant racist.
So once he saw his baby’s red eyes, he killed his wife, but couldn’t find it in him to kill his own ’disgusting’ baby girl.
The moral compass of some people hehe...
She’s been here for three years now.
...
Oh don’t you give me none of that!
Blood is thicker than water, kid.
You, her, and I are more related than you might possibly ever know!
If anything, we’re all related by hatred.
Our people are hated, just for the color of our eyes.
So we have to stick together."
...
[Current Day, Nephilim’s Home]
Nephilim: "Well, if I’m going to make it outside to Erebus I’ll have to be at the foot traffic through the shuttle system."
He gets up, quickly moving his way to the washing Silpheed.
He pats his most trusted colleague on the head, not seeing that the kind gesture is making Silph blush.
Nephilim: "You did good last night, Silpheed.
I entrust you not to disappoint me again."
With confidence, Silpheed nods and accepts her next task.
...
[Nephilim’s Home]
A single ceiling fan spins in the hallway of the dark, quiet home.
With their exposed eye closed, Silpheed is sitting next to the barely open door outside of of Arai & Maniae’s room.
There is no noise coming from the boy’s room yet, indicating Arai hasn’t woken up yet.
A crackle from the floor boards immediately alerts the always aware side kick to the General of all Erinyes territory.
Silpheed’s red eye shifts to the left and notices the scared and always timid Eden, approaching from down the hall.
Eden: "I-Is everyone ah-ah all right?"
Silpheed nods and looks down at the floor between their legs.
Noticing something is wrong Eden walks closer and eventually slides down next to the worried eldest foster sister.
Eden: "Are...Are you okay?"
A tear comes to Silpheed’s eye and trickles down.
As the emotionally confused caretaker to the house talks through their mask, voice cracks can be made out.
Silpheed: "Mma- drrbll- zizdr-..."
Eden, not seemingly to understand what Silph is saying, can only give her most useful advice possible.
Eden: "You- you t-truly want to m- make Mr. Nephilim h-happy, don’t you Si- Silpheed?"
Once again, Silpheed nods in silence. The only sound is the hallway fan lightly clicking down the hall.
Eden: "W-Well from-m my p-p-p-perspective, you’ve been a-able to n-not only beco-c-c-come a big sister to Pers-eh-ehhephone and I, but also M- Maniae.
It must be hard being the eldest in charge."
Silpheed continues staring at the floor with their one exposed, tear filled eye while listening to the stuttering woman, trying to force out her helpful advice.
Eden: "Ju-Ju-Just because tha-that Arai b-boy hasn’t come ar-around yet, doesn’t mean we should st-stop trying to help him understand we mean no h-h-harm.
He’s just a k-k-kid, and it’s easy to say you want more freedom as a- a- kid, but once the real horrors of the world becomes ex-expos-sed to some of us, we have to re-realize, authority also creates stability."
Silpheed digests the advice, but surprising the both of them, from inside the room, Maniae is finally heard talking to Arai.
Maniae: "Why are you being like this Arai?"
Both the snoops outside of the room peak inside the barely open door to the boy’s bedroom.
The sad red eyes of the black haired boy and the angry blue eyes of the blonde haired boy lock.
Arai snickers and slowly shakes his head towards his "friend" across from him.
Arai: "So...
One month and these people have brain washed you to the point you think this..."
He raises up the cuffed hand as high as it can reach, making the cuffs scratch his wooden bed frame.
Arai: "...is acceptable.
To literally take away someone’s freedom, only for wanting freedom.
You’ve changed Maniae."
From outside the door both Silpheed and Eden look guilty from the words of the imprisoned young man.
However, sad immediately switches to angry as Maniae shoots up from his bed.
Maniae: "I’ve changed?!
What about you Arai?!"
The sudden mood shift makes Eden step back in fear, but Silpheed focuses on the young man with matching red eyes to themself and Nephilim.
Maniae: "You’ve never been this much of an asshole when we were alone for the past three years, and now, you’re the one deciding to just up and leave this friendship behind?!
After all those late night video game session?
After all those sparring matches?
And races?
Just because someone who cares about your wellbeing is telling you to brush your teeth and go to bed at a decent time, really?!?!"
Arai sticks his nose up in the air and looks away from the concerned and caring friend.
Arai: "So what now?
Are you going to keep me locked up in this room, strapped to this bed, until I finally conform towards playing home with you, General Douchebag, and his gross weird wives?"
From outside the door, Eden blushes.
Eden(thinking): *P-P-P-People thi-think we are his wives?!?!* 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Meanwhile, Silpheed also gets fired up. Their exposed red eye just as angry at the accusations made by the young blonde.
Maniae: "They aren’t his wives Maniae!
If they’re his wives, what does that make us?"
Arai’s nose twitches while looking at his wall, trying to avoid any eye contact with the disputing colleague.
Maniae: "Our big sisters are just like you and me. Just because they are girls, doesn’t mean they’re any different than you or I.
They are people younger than Mr Nephilim, that fell on hard times, probably like he did! Now that he has worked himself out of the mud, he’s trying to prevent us from a life in the shitter."
The door slams open and Silpheed charges in, scaring both Arai and Maniae.
The pissed off older foster sister marches over to Arai’s bed, smacking him across the face, HARD.
It stuns both Maniae and Eden, but clearly Arai even more.
Before he can get angry and yell at his slapper, a hand grabs the back of his head and pulls him in.
Not believing any of their eyes, Silpheed pulls in the returned escapee and a tear falls out of her left red eye.
Silpheed; "Amm- zo- abby- orr- ogey-..."
