Chapter 76: At the Ends of the Sin

"B-But it was an accident…" Camille said, trying to make sense out of the memory they saw. "You really didn't mean for him to die, right?"

Haru stared at her with a dead expression, as if the scenario that day didn't happen in his life. But it did.

"Fear rushed through my veins that day," Haru spoke gently. "But I meant to kill him. I really did, looking back. I wanted him dead."

Camille took a step back. "That's because you hated him for torturing you, right?"

"That's right. I hated him with everything I've got, so I killed him."

Camille's voice got lost. At the midst of the silence, Ali neared Haru and grabbed on the layer of his shirt. "Haru…" Ali called out to him. "It's.. okay. It's going to be okay."

Haru glanced at Ali once, then pushed him away harshly. Ali fell down and looked at him with shock living in the boy's expression. Ali was never pushed or rejected harshly by Haru that way.

Even Camille thought it was surprising that she got frightened of him.

"Just leave me alone," Haru's voice was getting hoarse. "You said that the portal's underway, right? Leave immediately and return to the original world if you want to. That's your intention from the start, isn't that?"

Camille ran away as she carried confusion and fear in his heart. She felt as if she didn't know who that person was, when she used to be so close to him before.

Ali stayed there silently, sitting on the spot where he fell off and just stared at Haru with a lonely glance.

Haru was still in front of that golden slot machine as his eyes began failing him. He felt hot and weak all of a sudden as if all tension began backfiring against him.

Maybe it was the series of memories returning to him brutally or the unfamiliar place he's suddenly brought to.

Losing memories, regaining the memories of abuse, meeting unknown faces, getting locked in a black room with a witch, and wishing with the Devil's blood on it.

His body couldn't take in everything at once.

Soon, his consciousness really surrendered. He fainted and rest finally took him over.

Ali was panicked when he saw Haru fainting and falling down from the seat, so he was about to ask for some help when he saw Alicia and Mr. Wang nearing in towards them.

They brought Haru to the world's second feature—the game room. It was only a few hours when Haru woke up again into what felt like a dream-like state.

He saw the old man and now, a middle-aged woman along with the little boy.

He glanced at Ali and said, "Get out of here."

Mr. Wang, Alicia, and Ali were all bewildered with this sudden reaction. "Hey, Haru! Why are you doing that to Ali?!" Alicia yelled. "You were so close to him before! You've lost your memories, rig—"

Haru glared at her. "I know what the hell I'm doing."

"No, you don't!"

Haru ignored the woman and looked back at Ali. "I don't want to see you in this room. Get out of here right now!"

Ali took a step back and rushed out of the game room where they were staying.

Alicia shook her head and looked exasperated.

"I know what you're going to say, so just save it," Haru told her. "Just… let me take a rest until I recover all my memories."

Alicia felt like there's a wall between them. For some reason, she felt pity towards him. She also felt that she had to help him somehow get through whatever he's suffering from. Whether it's confusion, an unknown truth, or the memories that keep rushing inside his emptied head.

"Wanna play a game?" Alicia asked him.

Haru was silent for a while before nodding, "Sure."

"Then, I'll leave you two here," Mr. Wang said before going out of the game room.