Free Web NovelChapter 6: Chapter Six: Still Alive
Hidara entered the living room with his mind racing.
He paused for a moment, looked at his parents, and then said in a low voice.
“Dad, where’s my brother?”
Mahmoud looked up, set his cup aside, and sighed quietly before answering.
“He stayed behind to finalize the relocation paperwork. We decided to move here and live with you. It was our mistake to leave you alone at this age.”
Hidara froze in place.
He didn’t move; he just stared at them as if the words hadn’t sunk in yet. Then he whispered to himself,
“Is this really possible? Are they going to stay here? Are they going to leave everything behind just to be by my side? Don’t joke with me. This is Malisura—a cursed city. We have to escape from here.”
He slowly raised his eyes toward his father, then said in a terrified voice,
“No, no. We have to get back to our city quickly.”
Mahmoud approached him, lowered his voice, placed a hand on his shoulder, and whispered in his ear,
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
He picked up a glass and drank from it calmly, as if trying to hide any tension.
Hidara looked at him quickly.
“But Dad, what about your job?”
Mahmoud smiled faintly and replied,
I have a lot of connections here. I’ll open a restaurant near this area, and everything will be fine Wadad lifted her head from the kitchen as she set the food on the table and said with a calm smile,
“That’s a wonderful idea.”
Hidara whispered to himself as he watched them in shock.
My father has connections in this cursed city?
Don’t mess with me.
Wadad took a step forward and looked at Hidara with a distinctly motherly tone.
Well, in any case, I’ll never allow you to live alone with an innocent girl like Ren.
Mahmoud chuckled lightly and said,
“That’s right.”
Hidara turned to them silently, then suddenly spun around and ran upstairs with quick steps, his features tense.
At that moment, Ren was coming down the stairs, but she stopped when she saw him running.
Mahmoud called out to him in a loud voice
“Hey, you!”
But Hidara didn’t answer
“Leave him alone for a bit,” said Wadad, watching him go upstairs
Mahmoud sighed
“All right”
Then Wadad turned to Ren and said gently
“Ren, come on, dear, breakfast is ready”
Ren looked up, her concern for Hidara clearly visible.
“Okay, Auntie.”
Upstairs, Hidara was in his room, quickly changing his clothes, his features tense. Then he whispered to himself,
“First, I need to find out about Ren’s father’s killer. I’ll make him pay dearly.”
He paused for a moment, then continued,
“Second, I need to know everything about this cursed city. I’ll meet with Neil. Neil knows everything.”
He quickly opened the door and ran downstairs, heading outside.
Wadad called out from behind him.
“Wait! Breakfast is ready.”
But he didn’t hear her.
“Take care of yourself, son,” Mahmoud said, watching him leave.
“Don’t worry. The police have searched the entire area, and you’re safe now. They’ve tightened security in these parts of the city.”
Wadad sighed as she looked at the door.
“I’m worried about Hidara.”
Mahmoud gently placed his hand on hers “Don’t worry. I’ve secured the area.”
Then he turned to Ren and said,
“Why don’t you go change your clothes?”
Ren looked at him in surprise.
“Change what?”
He smiled lightly.
“Your school clothes. You’re going to school today, and I’ll take you myself. I’ll be your father starting today.”
“All right, my daughter,”
Wadad whispered with a smile.
“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of everything for you. You’re part of the family now.”
Mahmoud gently placed his hand on her head.
“All right, my daughter. Go change your clothes, and tomorrow we’ll buy you a new school uniform. Deal?”
Ren lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly.
“Thank you both.”
They replied in unison,
“No need to thank us. You’re our daughter, Ren.”
In that moment, Ren’s heart was filled with the warmth and tenderness of her parents.
Tears welled up in her eyes and then slid quietly down her cheeks.
She couldn’t stop herself, and a faint sob escaped her.
Wadad approached her and hugged her gently.
“Don’t worry, my daughter. We’ll always be there for you.”
Mahmoud patted her on the head with a warm smile.
“Everything will be all right.”
Elsewhere
Inside a closed hall, a swivel chair stood in the middle
of the room, turning slowly beneath a light shining down from above.
Zarak sat there, his eyes fixed on the ceiling—pale and lifeless, as if something darker than darkness dwelled within them.
He whispered in a low voice
It seems I’m close to my goal
He paused for a moment, then continued There’s only a little left, just a little, and everything will be ready.
Silence reigned
Then a faint, cold laugh rose, filling the hall little by little until it turned into a terrifying echo reverberating in the darkness Meanwhile,
Hidara was walking down the street toward the school, his eyes scanning the alleys as he muttered to himself.
The city seems quieter every day. No traffic. Everything is eerily still—even people’s faces are expressionless. How could my father possibly have acquaintances here?
He reached the school gate.
And that’s when he saw him.
Neil was standing, leaning against a school wall, in his usual spot
Hidara approached him
He stopped right in front of him
Neil slowly raised his eyes, turned to him, and said in a voice devoid of any emotion
Looks like you’re still alive
Hidara looked at him calmly, then replied
It seems so.
