-'Jude, don't forget what I told you okay?
Make friends, lots of them.
I don't need to tell you off about studying because I know you'll excel without me telling you.
You can always call me for any advice on housekeeping and cooking, okay?'
-'Yes Mother.'
-'Gosh I have no clue how I am allowing this to happen..'
The Mother hugged her son for the final time, her hand rubbing over his back whilst the other ran through his hair.
'Jude, I don't need to tell you anything else I haven't said five times now. You're a smart kid, you know what to do if you ever need someone to lean on.
I am proud of you. I am so proud of you and I know whenever you contact me you're going to tell me about an achievement you've gained.
Don't forget to take time for yourself and for your mental health.
Don't.. study all day, you'll get burned out.. and fail!'
Her voice cracked as she faltered to tears, grasping onto him like a lifeline, letting her own child out into the wild wild world, what sort of a Mother is she.
Jude reciprocated her hold with his own, his arms encircling her back as he let her cry her heart out.
-'I won't, Mom.'
-'No goodbyes, because I'll see you again.'
She stood back up, wiping her emotions off her face as she put on that same old smile of hers and opened the door for Jude to walk out to his future.
That was the last time Jude would ever see his Mother.
{Location: Home/Time: ???}
Knock knock knock.
No response.
Knock knock knock.
No response.
Knock.. knock knock..
No response.
Knock..
No. Response.
-"...Mom, open the door.."
His voice died down as his hands slid down the door, giving up.
"Is she out.. Shopping..? She must be, right?"
Footsteps came up thestairs, Kiara peeking around the corner to see Jude standing in a full display of hopelessness, his head banging against the door slowly.
-"Jude, why aren't you inside yet? We heard banging. Did she kick you out?"
Looking towards Kiara, Jude shook his head no.
-"She's not responding."
Overreaction some might say, she truly could be anywhere out of the house, but one has to remember she hasn't responded to any of his attempts at contact.
So Kiara pulled Iudex away from the door.
"What are you going to do?"
-"Can't have you going back empty handed."
-"...?"
Kiara smashed the door open with one powerful kick, the hinges of the door almost coming undone.
-"Holy-"
-"Let's go."
The moment Kiara entered, her hand flew to her mouth in a gasp. Her pupils dilating and darting everywhere.
"No- let's not go-"
Attempting to backtrack, Kiara turns to push Jude out but it was far too late.
He saw what she saw.
He could really use Kronii right now, to freeze time and rewind it so that he'd never had to see it. So that he'd never have come to this city. So that he'd never...
-"....."
The silence was deafening.
He just walked forward, his knees were on the verge of buckling every step forward he took, his legs shaking, begging him to fall and curl up.
"Mother-"
Throat was totally choked out, his breaths coming in a rush.
Kiara could see the color leaving his body as he crashed down in front of the horror that they both had witnessed.
"Mother.. Mother.. No.. No.. Don't do this.. This can't happen..!"
It was the first time in the short period they had known each other that Kiara heard Jude's voice in a different pitch, let alone one this dead inside.
She walked behind him staying silent as she held him up, looking over his shoulder to see what he was seeing in that moment.
The cold, lifeless corpse of Jude's Mother.
Dried blood all over her clothes.
Dead with a smile on her face.
A guttural shriek escapes Jude's strained throat as he fell to the floor again, his hands on his dead Mother's knees shuddering endlessly and fully out of his control.
Kiara couldn't tell what she's supposed to do, she can't comfort him nor can she pull him away. All she can do is let it happen, let this scene unfold before her.
Enma-Chan burst through the open door after hearing that cry, and it was good that she did.
She knew exactly what to do, she crouched down beside Jude and took his hands away from his Mother.
Jude can never catch a break it seems. He first came unknowing of everything, almost died multiple times, got looped in way over his head, and now this.
He lost the only light in his life.
Value those close to you as long as you can, you never know when you're going to say goodbye for the last time.
Because Jude never got to say goodbye.
Jude never got to say I love you.
Jude never got to show her his highschool diploma.
Jude never got to tell her he's secured a job that will set them for life and have her living close.
Jude never got to ask her about himself.
(Keep Forward Story: Failed)
(Bad Ending Unlocked. 100% Loaded.)
(Judge, Jury and Executioner Story: Begin)
(HoloCorp World Stories: Unlocked)
(Prologue: End)
-"Mom.. Mom... Mom.."
Jude was huddled up and repeating the words like a broken record, Enma and Kiara tending to him as the sirens of police and ambulance neared.
Any words the two spoke were like flame to a fire, serving absolutely no purpose but to rub salt on a wound.
Jude just rocked himself back and forth, forth and back, whispering the words again and again.
"G-Goodbye... I love you.. Goodbye.."
Officials and specialists covered the scene, and questioned the three, or, well, tried to, Enma was the one who did most of the talking while Kiara refused to leave Jude's side
The phoenix did catch some stares because of her extraordinary looks, but that was not the current main focus.
Enma posed the best possible question as of that moment.
-"Have none of her neighbors called for a welfare check? It can't be possible."
-"None."
The questioning officer's one word response made the three tumble down further in despair.
Jude knew his Mother. Everyone loved her and if he wasn't distraught right now he could name atleast a dozen people that would willingly lay their life down to save her because of their shared history with her.
The other officers were getting too nosy and trying to pester for far more info than what should be relevant for the moment, "Why hasn't Jude been around?", and other remarks of the like, as if these interrogative words could do any aid for what had taken place.
The lead officer stepped up to Kiara and Jude to get them moving.
-"We are sorry for your loss, but we must ask you to leave the premises and stay in contact with the agent that will be reporting any new advances to you."
Jude stared at the female officer who had said these impossibly offensive words.
-"Are you out of your fucking mind?"
There he goes with that sharp as cold steel tone, they say words can never hurt.
Well, his can.
-"Jude. We have to go."
Enma and Kiara can tell if any more pissing off happens, Jude might do something that all of them would pay the price for.
Jude stood up, totally out of his mind as evident by the look on his face.
His eyes flashed a glint of grey for a fraction of a second before Enma stood between him and the officer.
"We'll be on our way."
You could hear his murmurs a thousand blocks away. The almost feral noises carrying alongside them put that much more emphasis.
What had happened was too much of a push on Jude's mental. He was totally demolished. He was angry, sad, aggressive. He was talking but making no sense whatsoever while doing so.
Reporting this back to Yagoo would not be fun. But first they had to get back.
They sat in the car, Emma's head against the steering wheel, Kiara besides Jude in the backseats to keep tabs on him.
-"Jude."
The way she called his name and nothing else ticked him off worse than she had bargained for.
-"Fuck you want..?"
If it had been any other time, Enma would've disciplined Jude on the spot.
But she knows this isn't any other time.
This is THE time.
-"We'll get to the bottom of this.
I promise this."
Enma said with conviction, and Kiara cemented it with her positive outlook coming through.
-"Yeah..! We have the best detective in HoloCorp after all!"
The side eye Kiara ate knocked the wind out of her, her mouth quivering with a maelstrom of all kinds of emotion.
It took Enma a few minutes but she eventually drove off.
Jude would never be the same after this.
LONG.LIVE.IUDEX