The Cursed Eye

by T L Brevis

“Come now, boy! Give it to me! Control my mind, my body, make me do whatever you please, and that will be my ultimate entertainment!” The man exclaimed, ripping off his own mask and staring into Hiroshi’s eyes with an exhilarated look in his own.

  Hiroshi did not think. He did not spare a moment to hesitate or mull over the situation, he simply acted. His eyes burned an intense crimson as he stared, wide-eyed, into the man’s own olive eyes for exactly five seconds, counting each one ever so carefully, even though they felt like centuries, no, millennia. He did not care if his face was giving off an expression of relief anymore. Maintaining this eye contact was all that mattered, and after those fateful five seconds, the other man’s eyes, as well as the rest of his face turned blank, and Hiroshi knew it was all over.

  BREAKING NEWS:

  Well-known heir Lewis Howard was found dead on a pavement near central New York. It is highly suspected that he flung himself off a nearby building to commit suicide, however, authorities are currently investigating the possibility of his death being a murder

  ∞

  “Ready to head back now boys?!” came the booming voice of Makoto’s father from the front door of the hotel room the three were currently sharing.

  “Y-Yes dad. Give us five minutes please,” Hiroshi heard Makoto timidly respond.

  “Alright then, see you downstairs!” with that, the extroverted man left and the door was shut behind him.

  Makoto stepped back into the hotel bedroom where Hakku was already seated on the bed next to Hiroshi. Makoto took a seat beside Hiroshi so that the scarlet-eyed boy was now sandwiched in the middle of the other two.

  “He was incredible. He had me completely beaten. I can see why Kaito picked him,” Hiroshi said while looking down at his lap, in a low and disappointed tone.

  “Hiroshi, don’t say th-”

  “No, he’s right,” said Hakku with a similar posture and facial expression.

  “Well, no use worrying about it now,” added Hakku. Hiroshi looked up and toward him at these words.

  “He’s dead. You won. He said so himself. I know very well that he was running circles around us, but still, he admitted he lost, and he actually did, so no use thinking about it anymore, no matter how you may feel.”

  “I-I just can’t bring myself to accept that. Was this his final ploy? To haunt me like this?” Hiroshi said.

  “Don’t give in. As you said, what if this really is his final ploy? You wouldn’t want him to be the winner when you could help it, right?” Makoto said, attempting to comfort Hiroshi in any way possible.

  “I suppose you’re right,” Hiroshi answered with a small smile. He may have let those words exit his mouth, but he did not mean them. He was a fool to think that Owari was his only concern after he had rid himself of the police. He had been close-minded and foolish to believe so. He now realized that there were many more threats he could encounter from any number of people, and finally understood the ultimate lesson Kaito hoped to teach with these final five missions.

  Be prepared for absolutely anything.

  It was a phrase that of course everyone would pretend to live by, but Hiroshi now, truly understood and fused himself with its meaning. Through all of his encounters and experiences during the last two, unbelievable years, he finally understood that, and those times were a necessary teaching tool to truly allow him to take on Owari, and anyone else that could possibly pose a threat to him, and his newfound allies, and he would only get stronger during the coming hiatus.

  “Boys, it’s been about five minutes now, let’s go,” Makoto’s father shouted through the nicely-crafted wooden front door. Hiroshi was once again snapped back into reality by this man, a feat those around him never ceased to re-create.

  “Coming Mr. Waru!” Hakku shouted back.

  Chapter 23

  “Ah, I'm so glad we’re finally back. I think it’s about time I visit my mom. I’ll surprise her since I haven't been able to call for a while,” Hakku said enthusiastically, hardly even waiting before he had shut the door to Makoto’s room.

  “Good idea,” Hiroshi responded, now forcibly abandoning his previous discomforting thoughts of Lewis Howard, as best he could, in any case.

  “Hey, can we come?” Makoto asked excitedly, whipping himself around to face Hakku.

  Hiroshi promptly gave him a slap on the back of the head for his insolence along with a sigh.

  “Hey, what was that for Hiroshi!” He shouted, whipping back around yet again, audibly suppressing his volume. Before Hiroshi even had the opportunity to respond, Hakku did instead.

  “Of course you two can come. My mom loves you two and always asks about you anyhow, hell, she’ll probably even be disappointed if I don’t bring you two along.”

  “True,” Hiroshi said, grabbing his chin with his left hand and making a pose obviously signifying that he was mulling Hakku’s words over.

  “Seriously, it really is no problem at all,” Hakku reassured Hiroshi.

  “Alright then, I suppose that would be fine in that case. Your mother is an incredibly kind woman after all, so no complaints from me at the very least,” Hiroshi said, finally giving in.

  “Same here, so it’s settled!” Makoto announced.

  “Alright. I think we should take the rest of the day to relax and fix our sleep schedules, but first thing tomorrow morning, let’s go back to my old home!”

  Two simultaneous nods of varying enthusiasm reaffirmed Hakku’s statement, and with that, the three’s schedules for the following day were set.

  ∞

  The predictable sound of knocks on a door could be heard echoing through Hakku’s old home, but the situation was all but ordinary.

  “Why isn’t she answering? She always does make it a point to answer the door as quickly as possible no matter what. It’s one of her things,” Hakku said, sounding increasingly troubled with each passing word.

  Something certainly did seem amiss. Hiroshi could just tell by the very atmosphere that surrounded him as he stood in that spot where he had once felt so many emotions. This time was different, however. This time, things were definitely not right, and that was the only way the current situation could be described.

  “Mom!” Hakku began to shout, sounding even more unnerved than before.

  “Mom! Mom! Mom!” He exclaimed, giving a furious knock each time he uttered the word.

  “Calm down Hakku, do you have a key or something?” Makoto asked, genuinely sounding concerned for the boy he had all but teased up until that point.

  “Y-Yea, I do, thanks,” responded Hakku, sounding slightly relieved as he fumbled inside his right pocket, only for his hand to emerge with a silver key moments later.

  Hakku stuck the key in its fitting slot and turned it. An audible click followed, and Hakku wasted no time before grabbing onto the door’s handle and turning it, much like he had the key, then forcing the entire thing open.

  The trio rushed inside, making their way straight into the living room. Hakku was the first to arrive, and after visibly turning his head violently in all directions, he froze, gaze locked on a particular position. The right side of the living room floor that had not yet come into view for the other two.

  Before Hiroshi and Makoto could even reach where Hakku stood, he fell. Not because of an external factor, but of his own volition. He fell to his knees with a thud and his eyes enlarged to their limits as he looked on in horror at something, something which Hiroshi pleaded to any god that possibly could have been watching over them that it was not what he thought it was.

  Hiroshi’s prayers were not effective in the least.

  Hiroshi and Makoto finally reached Hakku’s side and snapped their heads toward where his own gaze was fixed, and all they could do was look on in horror at the sight before them.

  Tears began streaming down Hakku’s face, but surprisingly also Hiroshi’s. It did not take him long to realize why this sight was so disheartening for him as well, even mor
e so than it would have been for the average person. It was déjà vu. He had seen this before. He had witnessed this very thing, not even two years prior. As he stepped down the staircase of his old home, Kaito walking before him, he laid eyes on it. On them. His parents, bathing in a pool of dark, unsettling crimson.

  A look of terror on their faces clearly displayed. It was all too similar to what Hiroshi saw now, only this time; it was a lone woman. A peaceful and pleasant woman he had seen two times prior, but nonetheless, not failing to be hospitable and kind on each of those occasions. Hakku’s mother.

  Hiroshi had barely finished his thought before he was interrupted by wailing. Wailing from the one who knelt petrified next to him.

  It was all he could do for the next few seconds, it was as if it was all he had ever done. The sound of pure agony pierced Hiroshi’s very soul. The anguish that was burning through Hakku’s vocal cords was almost unbearable, however, Hiroshi could not do a thing. Him being through the same experience hardly mattered at all.

  It is like two people who go through the same terrible illness. The one who had gone through it before knows all too well how it is, but nonetheless, words cannot describe it, rather, words would not serve to ease the pain of going through that experience in the least. That was the situation Hiroshi found himself in. All he could do to comfort his friend was kneel down beside him and put his hand on his shoulder while staring down into his own lap solemnly. It was nothing, but at the same time, it was everything he could have possibly done at that point. Hiroshi prayed it would be enough.

  “Why!?” Hakku howled in agony.

  Hiroshi could just barely see Makoto out of his peripheral vision, slowly stepping over to the table beside where the beautiful woman lay resting, and picking up a single envelope. Hakku did not take notice at all, in fact, he could not. His hands clutched his face so tightly and he wailed so loudly that he could not, and would not possibly take notice of anything but his own sorrow and the reason for it at that very moment.

  Makoto gave Hiroshi a quick glance, to which Hiroshi responded with eye contact of his own. Makoto had a sad, unfortunate expression on his face, nothing like anything he had shown Hiroshi before, not even when his uncle’s true motivations and self were brought to light. That was a look of disappointment, this was pure sorrow and regret.

  Makoto silently nodded at Hiroshi before darting his eyes down to the envelope he held in his right hand at his waist. Hiroshi knew his meaning immediately. They would give Hakku all of the time he possibly needed, but the answers to all of his questions would most definitely be in that envelope, all that was needed at that point was to wait for him to ask them.

  Hakku’s cries of agony continued for minutes on end, but eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Hiroshi and Makoto’s wish came true.

  “Wh-Who would do this. I will destroy them,” Hakku growled through gritted teeth finally, his hands hanging at his sides now clenched into fists.

  Makoto responded by crouching down in front of Hakku and extending his right hand containing the fateful envelope, which Hiroshi could now see displayed no text on the outside of it, but was nonetheless sealed and obviously had contents.

  Hakku snatched it from Makoto’s hand after realizing its purpose and ripped it open as quickly as he possibly could while eliminating any sort of chance that the letter it contained would be torn in the process.

  Hakku unfolded the ghostly white sheet of paper he found inside and began to read. His face turned a bright red, and continued to somehow grow even brighter as he read through it. Despite how ridiculous it sounded to Hiroshi processing it in his head, steam could physically be seen exiting Hakku’s ears by this point despite its seeming impossibility in reality. Hakku’s face did not avoid the theme either. His eyebrows grew narrower by the second, and the look of rage being displayed on all corners of his face terrified even Hiroshi, his own comrade who knew every aspect of his being. Hakku was livid, no, the definition of the word did not do his appearance justice. He was the definition of rage. That would be an accurate description for him now.

  Hakku remained like this for a good minute, eyes bolted to the sheet of paper before him. Eventually, he thrust out the page toward Hiroshi as quickly as he had snatched the envelope that contained it from Makoto and began breathing even heavier than before. His eyes now drilling into a random part of the room, it did not matter what, Hiroshi could tell Hakku simply needed something to focus his unbridled fury on at that moment or he would explode.

  Hiroshi did not waste even a moment of his friend’s arm strength and quickly accepted the sheet of paper. Its contents even surprised Hiroshi. His shock was quickly overcome by rage of his own, however.

  “How much are they going to make us suffer,” Hiroshi growled while peering into the sheet of paper nearly as intensely as Hakku had seconds before.

  Dear Traitor

  Hello Hakku Noroi. This is Owari, a name you would have been unfamiliar with only a handful of months ago, but now, I am sure you are all too aware of our existence. We hope you have gotten comfortable with Kaito and the other allies you have found yourself with, but unfortunately, we do not tolerate traitors. You see, Hakku, whether you realize it or not, you were working for one of our underlings. You betrayed them by ending that relationship, so we have decided to end one of yours. It is no matter to us if you did not realize who you were working for in reality, but if you truly did not know, well, let this be a lesson for you to be more careful in future, lest natural selection burdens you once more. Thank you for reading.

  Yours truly,

  Owari.

  “The nerve of those bastards. Their treating this whole thing like a joke,” spat Hakku, anger somehow rising even more in his tone now.

  “They’ll see what kind of joke they pulled when I kill every last one of them!” He shrieked, a complete contrast to the quiet, albeit unstable tone he took on prior.

  “Shh. Hakku, I know how you feel, but we can’t let anyone hear yo-”

  “Shut up Makoto! What the hell do you know! Your parents aren-”

  “Stop it Hakku,” Hiroshi interrupted, uncharacteristically sternly.

  This was enough to snap Hakku out of his rage-filled trance and get him to stare at Hiroshi, awestruck.

  “This is part of Owari’s plan. This letter, it was meant to do this. To separate us, and most importantly, to send you into a blind rage so you would reveal us all, and have us killed,” Hiroshi added, now calming himself as well.

  Hakku did not respond with words, he simply responded with tears. Tears that could not cease. They flowed and flowed endlessly, and Hiroshi along with Makoto could do nothing but put each of their hands on their friend’s now limp shoulders and blurt out the obligatory, but useless phrases such as, “Everything will be alright,” “Let it all out,” along with countless others. That was all that could be done. No amount of words, or even actions could fully aid Hakku now. Only time and his own will could, not anyone else no matter what they did.

  That was how their morning was spent, comforting the grieving Hakku, then later, of course having to alert the police of the horrific crime that had taken place. Hiroshi did not bother to hand over the letter as evidence. As he had already ascertained, the police were useless, and having that letter for future reference would be much more beneficial to them. Nothing even remotely positive came out of that experience, not even the mocking letter. It was pure pain and suffering, but nonetheless, they did have the time for it to heal.

  Hiroshi despised the way they would enter their hiatus, the supposed time of rest and steady information gathering that would launch them headfirst into their battle against Owari. However, now it was the opposite. Owari had forcibly gained their own psychological advantage against the trio, and nothing could be done about it either. They were now determined, more than ever to do anything in their powers to end Owari, there was no negotiation, or any hint of hesitation to that end any longer.

>   ∞

  Hiroshi, Makoto, and Hakku walked across the street to a convenience store. Luckily, and fittingly to its title, one was very close to Makoto’s home, and due to that, they were able to continue their habits of drinking coffee and energy drinks every morning for the year they had stayed there.

  It was quite a busy morning, people commuting to work and school surrounded them, and they barely had an arm’s length between them and the others making their way across the busy street. One set of footsteps did sound quite different from the rest though, heavier somehow. Before Hiroshi could truly explore that thought, a voice came from behind the trio. A man spoke from above them, in perfect American English.

  “You know, Makoto Waru, I don’t appreciate how you ripped the Lewis Howard case away from me.

  Afterword

  Hello, this is T. L. Brevis (Yes that is a pen name if you were wondering).

  I hope all of you enjoyed my first novel. It was a difficult, but very enjoyable experience during the entire process. I’ve learned that there isn’t a better feeling than thinking of some insane idea, either for a story, or an element to add to an existing one, then after considering it for a few seconds, actually find it feasible. That would be what I would say I enjoy the most about writing, if I were to be asked.