The square of the Red City was a stage of insanity. The crowd, on their knees, chanted a song that seemed to tear the very fabric of reality. Their eyes, empty and lifeless, were fixed on Zack, but their voices, united in a macabre choir, called for another name: Skull. The sound was a suffocating symphony, a wave of profane adoration that resonated in Zack's bones, making his organs vibrate in a sickening harmony.
"Zack!" they sang, their voices a thunder that shook the square. "What is it like to live a life of captivity? Smiling and crying without knowing why? We adore you, we live for you. OOH OOH OOH Great Messiah, OOH OOH Great Lord."
The music enveloped him, a poisonous caress that promised freedom. And, for a terrifying instant, Zack felt free. A strange lightness took over his body, a sense of peace that filled him with a deep dread. It was a false freedom, a bait for his soul, and he fought against it, his mind rebelling against the seduction of that artificial comfort.
The smell of blood, blackberry, and cherry intensified, a sweet and nauseating perfume that announced the arrival of the master of the ritual. The crowd parted, revealing a figure that seemed to have stepped out of a nightmare. A person of androgynous appearance, with long white hair that floated around them like a shroud, and violet eyes that shone with a cruel intelligence. A sadistic smile played on their lips as they walked towards Zack, their steps silent, but each one echoing like a death sentence.
"Hello, Zack," the person said, their voice a soft melody that contrasted with the evil in their eyes. "I am Death. And I know you. I know your fears, your secrets, your past."
---
The image of the square dissolved, replaced by a scene of breathtaking beauty. A verdant hill, covered by a carpet of violet Jacaranda flowers. In the center, the Mother of all Jacaranda trees stood, its branches stretching for miles, a sanctuary of peace and wisdom. Under its shade, a young Zack, with white hair and dark eyes, read a book with a black and violet cover, adorned with a large eye. Beside him, Nanashi, with his long white hair and a vibrant smile, chewed on a piece of grass, the personification of tranquility.
"Why did you protect her?" Nanashi asked, his eyes fixed on Zack's book. Zack didn't answer, engrossed in his reading. "Sofia... she is..." Nanashi began, but Zack interrupted him, closing the book with a sigh. "Nanashi, enough. I already said I'm not handing her over."
"You tortured and killed her father," Nanashi said, his voice serious. "It doesn't matter if he was a scoundrel. He had a high position. They will make you suffer, Zack. In fact, you are already suffering... Just tell me, was it worth it?"
Zack put his hand on his friend's shoulder, a slight smile on his lips. "It was worth every moment. I would do the same for you." Nanashi laughed, the sound echoing through the hill. "Get away, I don't like men! You're weird, get away from me!" The joke broke the tension, and the two of them laughed, their laughter contagious. But behind the lightness, Nanashi thought, "Zack, I would do the same for you, my brother. But I'm too much of a coward to admit it."
---
Six months later. The hill of wisdom was unrecognizable. A violent storm lashed it, lightning tearing the sky and the wind howling like a wounded animal. The Jacaranda trees bent, their violet flowers scattered on the soaked ground. In the midst of that chaos, Zack was on his knees, his body trembling, his hands covered in blood. The city of Polyhedron, in the distance, was a funeral pyre, black smoke rising towards the stormy sky.
"Zack! What happened?!" Nanashi shouted, his voice almost inaudible amidst the storm's noise. He ran to his friend, desperation etched on his face. "Where are Tobi and Momo?"
Zack didn't answer. He just raised his head, his wide, horrified eyes meeting Nanashi's. "Forgive me, Nanashi," he whispered, his voice choked. "I don't know what happened... I..."
Nanashi sat beside him, the rain drenching them both. With a calmness that belied the storm around them, he picked up the wet petals from the ground and began to clean the blood from Zack's hands. "Calm down, Zack. Take a deep breath. I'm here."
Zack took a deep breath, the trembling in his body gradually subsiding. "The king found out about the plan," he said, his voice still trembling. "Momo is dead, Nanashi." The silence that followed was heavier than any thunder. "Who killed her?" Nanashi asked, his voice a thread.
The answer came with a flash of lightning, illuminating Zack's devastated face. "I did."
Zack told the story, the words pouring out in a stream of pain and guilt. The king had cornered them, forcing him into an impossible choice. Tobi, captured and tortured, begged for death. But Momo, years before, had made him promise never to let Tobi die. And, in that moment, she reminded him of the promise. To save Tobi, he had to kill Momo. And, to escape, he slaughtered the entire royal family.
Nanashi listened in silence, the rain hiding the tears that streamed down his face. When Zack finished, he stood up and extended his hand to his friend. "It's okay, Zack. Just take my hand." Zack hesitated, the guilt consuming him. But he took Nanashi's hand, and together, they stood up, two brothers united by tragedy and unwavering loyalty.
---
The memory faded, and Zack was back in the square, the smell of cherry and blackberry now unbearable. "Death" smiled, a smile that held all the knowledge of his painful past.
"Do you remember, Zack?" "Death" said, their voice echoing in Zack's mind. "The guilt, the pain, the sacrifice. All for nothing." With a snap of their fingers, the square transformed. Zack was back on the hill, but this time, it was Momo's body he held, her blood staining his hands. Nanashi's voice accused him, the pain in his eyes a dagger in Zack's heart.
"You killed her!" the ghost of Nanashi screamed. "You killed us all!"
Zack screamed, reality and illusion merging into a psychedelic nightmare. He attacked "Death", but his blows missed their target, passing through the air as if he were fighting a ghost. "Death" laughed, their laughter echoing with the voices of everyone Zack had lost.
"I am your memories, Zack," "Death" said, their form shifting into Nanashi's, then Momo's, and finally, Sofia's. "I am your guilt, your fear, your darkness. And you will never escape me."
Zack fell to his knees, defeated. The pain of his past was a weapon he couldn't fight. "Death" approached, a triumphant smile on their face. They turned to the cradle, where the golden-eyed baby cried, oblivious to the drama unfolding.
"Now," "Death" said, their voice dripping with poison, "let's finish what we started." Their hand reached for the baby, and Zack's world plunged into darkness.