The Listener is the Reincarnation of the Villainess

Truth and Deception

   I, in this life, was not afraid of dying. Maybe it was because I had already died once, but I was no longer afraid of reaching the end of my lifespan.
   Now, there are only two things I fear the most.
   Loneliness.
   And the disappearance of my loved ones.
   Unlike my pure and innocent siblings, I was a twisted person. I feared the pain of losing them compared to death of myself in which I considered a natural process of the flowing time.
   Despite my acceptance of death, I could not accept the death of the people I love. Everyday, I feared that all of a sudden, everyone I cared for would sleep for an eternity, just like the ones from my past lives. I hated goodbyes. I hate partings. I hate departure. This unnatural possessiveness stemmed from the suffering I had experienced and ingrained in my memories.
   Even though I had treasured them, they still left me in the end.
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Mother's POV

   "Onii-sama." I call out to my elder brother, as I lay on my futon, under the warm covers in the gentle night.

   "Hmm?" He responded groggily.

   "I am worried about Kanon. That child is carrying a burden that we can not possibly understand."

   "Kanon is a good girl. She's a hard worker and isn't she one of the best combatants already at her age? She's only ten years old and look at the aberrant perseverance she has! There's no need to worry, Haruka," he childishly rambled compliments.

   As expected of my idiot Onii-sama. He doesn't get it.

   "That's not it, Onii-sama. Is it not unusual for one so young to be so utterly detached to life? I am worried that if something unexpected happens, she would go down the wrong path. She is too harsh on herself, desiring strength as if she fears disaster striking at any moment. Day by day, she begins to resemble that person..." I covered my mouth, my words trailing off as I froze. Mentioning that person was tabboo.

   Onii-sama didn't respond for a while.

   "It's been a while so I have forgotten but she is truly that person's daughter, huh."

   "Onii-sama, I'm sorry. I did not mean to mention that person-"

   "It's okay," Onii-sama interrupted. He was reminiscing in his memories. "I try to not remember. It helps that Kanon doesn't look like him, but they are so similar. The both of them never gave any worth to their own lives. Is she going to make the same mistake when she is so young?"

   "Surely not! Kanon will not sacrifice herself like that person. She will not leave you. My days are numbered but you must remember Onii-sama, Kanon is not that person!" I sat up abruptly, my tone vicious and desperate in the quiet room. I was glad that it was sound proof. Otherwise, those sharp eared worrywarts would come running.

   "Rather than me, I'm worried about you. Has master not already stopped the miasma from spreading? Is this sanctuary not healing you?" Onii-sama piled more blankets over my body to keep me warm.

   It was not possible for me to lie to him.

   "You should have known the truth right? My power was completely drained on the Day of the Awakening. It is not possible for me to preserve it when I had already paid the price for that exchange fifteen years ago."

   "But this sanctuary is blessed by Yama-no-kami! It should have been enough to keep you stabilized even without the power!"

   "Onii-sama, for people like us, our power existed to keep us alive. When have we ever been human? Never. Alive? By the definition of humans, we are imaginary existences, unbelievable and inconceivable."

   "Our only purpose was to serve our Master as his familiars. Yet now, Master and me will no longer be able to stand on this ground. It has been so long. Has it been about a thousand years already? That we were able to stay sane in this dimension was simply miraculous through Master's power. Time is running out and Onii-sama, you possess an eternity unlike Master and me."

   "That eternity was supposed to have been for Master! Yet that evil man just had to purposely destroy everything with his despicable crime!" Onii-sama gritted his teeth bitterly.

   "There is no use worrying about everything. Our children who have set off are capable and trained students who have been blessed with the inhumanly rapid ability to adapt and resist to the miasma and infection. I can even coin the term "overpowered" from the light novels that had been delivered in secret."

   "Sumire, you are truly not good at acting. If you miss them, you don't have to hide it. After all, we can never meet them again once they leave this place. It was the [condition] after all."

   "Onii-sama! Don't tease me! Do you not feel guilt every single time you reveal [The Truth] to them? That this world is not of the modern skyscrapers and cities of bright lights? That the era of peace in the world was only an illusion we had fed them with the books we had given them?" I huffed angrily at his teasing and light hearted manner.

   "You've become very emotional. Is that the children's influence, or is it because of your worries about our [graduates]? We do not train heroes. We raise these children to become independent in this world without light. Have faith in their abilities. They are the ones we gave our love to after all."

   "Onii-sama, I'll admit that every once in a while, you can be a very good brother."

   "That isn't me everyday?"

   "Of course not. You better savor my praise. I rarely give them to idiots like you."

   "Sumire, your poisonous words have not changed with the changing times."

   "Of course, Onii-sama. If I wasn't here to keep you in check, Master would die because of your contagious idiocy."

   "..."

   "Good night, Onii-sama. Let's hope that sleep will be a remedy to your incurable stupidity. Let's hope Kanon can beat it out of you once she grows up." I yawned and snuggled under the blankets.

   "..."