Chapter 5 : Catastrophe That Shouldn't Have Happened (2)

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After Returning From Another World, My Sister Become Obsessed With Me

Genre : Phychological, Thriller, Gore, Romance, Supranatural, super power

Chapter 5 : Catastrophe That Shouldn't Have Happened (2)

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Frey and Aira stood before the ball-toss stall, bathed in the soft, golden glow of the carnival's hanging lanterns. The air around them felt unusually warm and sweet, filled with the distant melody ,of a carousel and the muffled cheers of other visitors.

Frey picked up a ball, feeling a strange sensation in his chest. For the first time in years, he wasn't thinking about his scars or his guilt. He was just a normal person, playing a game with a girl who looked at him with kindness.

"Watch closely," Frey teased, his eyes sparking with a rare, playful light.

He tossed the ball. It sailed through the air in a perfect arc, landing squarely in the center hole with a satisfying thunk. He did it again, and again, his movements fluid and confident. Aira clapped her hands, her laughter ringing out like silver bells.

After that, Frey had just won a medium plushy and a keychain. He handed it to Aira, as a token of their new-build friendship.

"Thank you, Frey," Aira said, her cheeks flushed with a soft pink hue. She looked at the prize, then up at him, her smile radiating a warmth feeling. "I’ll cherish this."

Frey and Aira lost themselves in the simple joy of the carnival. They played several more games, their laughter blending with the festive music. As they continued their stroll, the heat of the crowd began making them thirsty.

They stopped at a drink stall. Frey reached into his pocket, his fingers brushing against a few money. He realized he didn't have enough to spend freely and still need to left a safety net for Rika if she needed anything. He swallowed his thirst and stepped back.

"What’s wrong? Aren't you getting anything?" Aira asked, holding her own drink.

"Ah, no. I’m okay. I’m not really that thirsty," Frey lied, offering a strained smile behind his mask.

Aira was observant. She noticed the way Frey looked at his feet and the hesitant way he touched his pocket. Without a word, she turned back to the stall and bought a second drink, exactly like hers.

"Here. This is for you," she said, pressing the cold cup into his hand.

"Wait, I told you I didn't want anything," Frey stammered, surprised by the sudden coolness against his palm.

"It’s fine. My treat," Aira replied, her smile so genuine and warm that Frey found it impossible to say no.

"In return," she continued, her eyes sparkling, "why don't you join me on that? My treat as well." She pointed toward the Ferris wheel, a towering structure of iron and light that reached over seventy meters into the night sky.

Frey hesitated. The sun had long since set, and the carnival had swelled into a sea of more people than before. He knew he should be heading home, but the guilt of the free drink and the warmth in Aira’s gaze pulled at him. He took a deep breath.

"Alright," he agreed. Thinking this was a perfect way to say goodbye.

They stood in line, the air between them filled with easy, flowing conversation. They seemed to click perfectly, finding common ground in everything they discussed.

Finally, they boarded the carriage. As the wheel began its slow, rhythmic rotation, they sat opposite each other, the city lights beginning to shrink below them.

The atmosphere grew quiet and intimate. Frey, feeling the thirst again, lifted the bottom of his mask just enough to take a sip of his drink. Aira watched him, leaning her chin on her hand, her gaze intense and curious.

"Isn't it hard to drink like that? The mask must get dirty," Aira noted, her voice soft but direct. "Why don't you just take it off?"

Frey nearly choked on his drink. He lowered the cup quickly. "I... I think it’s better if I keep it on."

"Why?"

"I’m afraid... you’ll be uncomfortable if you see what's underneath," Frey admitted, his voice dropping to a whisper.

Aira didn't look away. She stared at him for several long minutes, her eyes searching his. She wasn't disgusted, instead, her eyes shows something more like fascinated.

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing. I’m just waiting for you to take it off."

Frey sighed, realizing she wasn't going to drop it. "Fine. Since it’s just the two of us up here... but only until we reach the bottom."

He slowly unhooked the straps. As the carriage reached its highest peak, the moonlight hit his face. Aira gasped softly. Beneath the scars, Frey was undeniably handsome, his eyes were deep and expressive, his features sharp and well-proportioned. But the bright burn scars surrounding half of his making his face told another story.

Suddenly, Aira, that usually so act so graceful and elegant. stood up and leaned toward him. Her face was flushed with an almost frantic enthusiasm.

"Can I touch it?" she whispered.

"What?" Frey’s flickering with confusion.

"Your scars. Can I touch them?"

"Wait, why would you want to do that?"

"I don't know... I just feel like I really need to right now. Please?"

Frey was paralyzed with confusion. He had never met anyone who reacted this way. He didn't know whether to be touched or terrified.

"I... I guess?"

Aira’s hand reached out, her fingers inches away from his damaged skin. But before she could make contact, a piercing, phantom scream tore through Frey’s mind.

"BROTHER!"

Frey recoiled, his head throbbing with a sudden, violent pain. He clutched his temples, his vision swimming. Panic flared in his chest. He fumbled for his phone and turned on the screen.

His heart stopped. 37 missed calls. 121 unread messages. All from Rika.

“Brother! Help! Help Rika!”

“I’m shaking, I can’t breathe. My chest feels so tight, Brother.”

"Aira, I’m sorry! There’s an emergency!" Frey shouted, his face pale with terror as he frantically began typing back.

"Rika! Rika! What’s wrong? Are you okay?"

"What’s happening, Frey?" Aira asked, her voice trembling as she sat back down, her moment from before broken by his panic.

"My sister! I think something happened to her!" Frey’s voice was raw with desperation.

A moment later, a reply came through.

“Brother... I don't know why, but my chest hurts so much right now.”

“Stay there, Rika! I’m coming home right now!”

“Yes... please. I need you. I can’t be alone anymore.”

Miles away, in the suffocating darkness of Frey’s bedroom, Rika was huddled on the floor. Her hair was a matted mess from where she had been clawing at it in a fit of rage. Tears of pure venom streamed down her face.

Hovering in the air before her was a magical screen, showing a live feed of Frey and Aira inside the Ferris wheel. She saw Aira reaching for him. She saw the intimacy.

Her eyes, once calm, bled into a void of bottomless black with pupils that glowed a murderous, hellish red.

"Unforgivable... Unforgivable! UNFORGIVABLE!"

She spat the word out like a curse, repeating it over and over until it became a rhythmic growl. Her aura flared, cold and suffocating. She stepped into a shimmering portal she created, and then appearing instantly in the sky above the Night Carnival. Below, she could see the Ferris wheel coming to a halt. She saw Frey, puting his mask back on, ready to take off from the ferris wheel.

"This cursed place... I won't forgive it for trying to steal my brother. And that bitch... I will destroy her!"

Rika paused, her fingers twitching with the urge to drop a meteor on the entire fairground. No, she thought. If I kill her while she’s with him, he will blame himself. He will be sad.

A sickening, twisted grin spread across Rika’s face. "Then I will destroy her spirit first."

Rika snapped her fingers.

CRACK.

A sound like a loud explosion echoed through the carnival. A massive iron support beam on the Ferris wheel snapped as if it were a tiny toothpick.

Frey and Aira that had just stepped off and were walking away, they turned around when they heard the noise. Above them, the huge metal structure groaned. With a loud, ear-piercing screech of twisting metal, the wheel collapsed. It fell like a falling mountain, crashing down toward the crowded path where people were walking.

"RUN!" Frey screamed. He grabbed Aira’s hand and pulled her forward with all his strength.

BOOM.

The ground shook violently as the heavy iron carriages smashed into the dirt.

Dust and debris filled the air, blinding the screaming crowd. Frey scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding hard against his chest. He looked back and saw that they were only one meter away from the edge of the wreckage. They had almost been crushed.

But behind them... there was no mercy.

A stray metal beam had caught a bystander directly behind Frey. It crushed the person instantly like a stepped-on tomato, spraying red liquid everywhere. The body was flattened, and blood splashed onto the nearby stalls.

To their left, the scene was even worse. Aira stood frozen, her stylish clothes now covered in spots of warm, red blood.

She was staring at a man who had been caught by the falling wheel. His body had been torn in half. His upper torso and head had been thrown to the side, and blood was spraying across the stalls like a broken painting. Pieces of flesh and bone were scattered on the ground.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Aira let out a shrill, piercing scream. She had completely lost her mind from the horror.

Frey felt sick. He felt like he was going to vomit as he looked at the mangled remains of the people around him.

High above, hidden in the dark shadows of the night, Rika watched the chaos. She let out a soft, happy laugh.

"This is just the beginning," she whispered. Her eyes glowed bright red with delight. "I will punish every single thing that tries to stand between us."

>> TO BE CONTINUED <<