Throughout this hellish laboratory, a feeling of hatred, rage, and regret gripped my heart like never before. Watching the little girl, whose life was slowly fading as her transformation intensified, I felt something break inside me. Her eyes were turning into those of a reptile, and her legs and hands would soon become claws.

  Rushing at full speed toward the place where we had found the girl and her brother, I was determined to keep my promise. My heart was pounding like never before, and I felt my brain burning under the pressure—something I had never experienced in my entire life. After all, I was about to do something that would change my life forever.

  When we reached the end of the corridor, we were once again where we had first met the little girl, and above all, standing before her brother who, to my great surprise, was not as hostile as before. He was certainly still a wild beast, yet he seemed to recognize his own blood and flesh—his sister. He let out an almost pitiful growl, as if begging me to give his sister back. Apparently, their fraternal bond had not been broken, yet his animosity toward me was clearly visible in his eyes…

  Placing the little girl on the ground and waking her at the same time, my allies watched me, wondering what I was doing by acting so strangely—especially Manu, who seemed to find me highly suspicious.

  “Here is… what remains of your brother. I’m sorry,”

  I said as she looked at what was left of her brother.

  “Is that… is that… big brother?”

  Tears began to stream down the little girl’s cheeks as she saw the monstrosity her brother had become, realizing at the same time what was happening to herself.

  “Why? What did we do wrong?”

  She cried her heart out, stretching her clawed hand toward the glass, staring at the monster who had once been her brother—the one she loved, adored, and cherished… They had been everything to each other, despite the place society had cast them into: weak and poor. They had only each other in this most horrible life, and that had been enough.

  To everyone’s surprise, her brother also stretched out his deformed claw while timidly growling, trying to communicate with his only family. Despite the barrier of language and species, his sorrow and longing for his sister were unmistakable.

  “Big brother… was it a sin for us to be born?”

  No sooner had she finished her sentence than her brother bared his fangs when he saw my hand move behind his sister. I wiped away her tears and looked at her sadly. The little girl was completely exhausted when she collapsed into my arms.

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  “As promised, I let you see your brother again,”

  I said with a smile, gently patting her head.

  “You shouldn’t come near me… I’ll soon be a monster…”

  With reddened eyes and a weak voice, she seemed on the verge of despair.

  “What are you talking about, Lia? You’re still the same adorable little girl you were before—don’t you remember?”

  With great joy and a sudden burst of energy, I comforted her.

  “Really? I’m still… a pretty girl?”

  As if delirious, she seemed to lose all sense of logic, utterly drained.

  “Of course. You’re still the same as before: smiling, strong, beautiful—and most of all, you’ll see your brother again soon. I promised you, didn’t I? You’ll always remain the most human person in this world. Hahahaha.”

  “I really am?”

  she asked weakly.

  “Have you ever seen me lie to you? I already told you before, didn’t I? You’re the most beautiful girl on this Earth, Lia—and surely in the entire universe. Hahahaha.”

  As her eyes slowly began to close, she remembered something and finally spoke in a faint voice, gathering all her strength to keep from falling asleep.

  “That laugh… Peter Pan?”

  Her eyes were becoming glassy and lifeless as she tried to make out my face.

  “Yes, it’s Peter Pan, my dear. Do you believe me now?”

  “You finally came, Peter Pan? I’m so happy… If you say I’m human, then I still am… Am I in a nightmare? Will I wake up?”

  The little girl asked as her breathing grew weaker and weaker. Biting my lips and clenching my fists until they bled, I finally answered, maintaining my usual cheerfulness.

  “Of course. Peter Pan never lies. You’ll wake up soon and realize that all of this was just a terrible nightmare.”

  Smiling and closing her eyes to drift into the arms of Morpheus, the little girl breathed her last at the very moment I closed hers.

  The entire room fell utterly silent, while the older brother, mad with rage, began to howl as he watched his sister die before his eyes.

  In an extreme burst of fury, he threw himself against the glass, trying to shatter it with all his strength in a futile hope of saving his sister… It was both tragic and pitiful, yet he kept going, growling in sorrow, trying to fulfill his role as an older brother… As always, that kid—Liam—had not failed in his duty as a big brother. Fortunately, he was no longer conscious enough to realize it.

  “Shin… reassure me. You’re not the one who killed her, are you?”

  Manu’s voice finally broke the silence, drawing everyone’s gaze toward him.

  Standing up and turning toward the others with an empty, desolate look, I gave them a smile as I transformed my cane into a staff in less than a second, before smashing Liam’s cage and killing him with a single, clean strike, piercing his head and ending his suffering instantly. My teammates stepped back in shock, unable to understand what had just happened—except for one of them, of course, the one who had been with me from the very beginning.

  “So it all makes sense… It really was you who killed Lia,”

  Manu murmured into the void, casting a dark look at me, while our two companions still failed to piece the puzzle together, even though I had just given them a clue.

  “You know me too well, Manu,”

  I conceded, smearing the blood across my staff and onto the floor.

  I had just kept my promise to the little girl.