How long have I slept? I don’t think it’s normal to be asleep and conscious simultaneously if I’m even sleeping in that regard. It’s been roughly an hour since I woke up to nothingness. Just me and my trusted… er, I don’t trust my consciousness either. My guess is I’m in the Void again. I’m remarkably more… stable, compared to the first time I experienced it. It’s still odd not being able to feel your body, but I think I can tolerate it well enough. It seems Its words are correct, I’ve gotten used to the Void. However, I’m not necessarily sure if it’s a good or bad thing. Eh, It will probably say it’s a good thing, considering how closely reted It is to the Void.I guess I’ll wait for It to come, or for tomorrow to come. I’m not pnning to spend and possibly waste energy exploring this pce. I doubt there’s even anything to discover. It’s a vast nd of nothingness, you can’t really find anything in that. I do enjoy the peace the Void gives though, it soothes me.

  “Dad! Sis is annoying me again! She keeps bothering my studies!”

  A childish voice echoes around me. I take back my word, there’s something here after all. The voice is… eerily familiar. I swear I’ve heard that sound before, that bratty and narcissistic voice.

  “No! I’m tired of her constantly interrupting me!”

  Oh, how much I resent that sound. Now I’d love to cw at my ears until they’re deaf. But there’s something else growing alongside the anger…

  “Why…? I just wanted to py…”

  A naive and innocent voice replies timidly. The por opposite of her asshole sister. Grief and regret wells up inside me. It tries to mix with the anger. But they don’t bode well, so it becomes a tug of war on what can empower the other.

  “Py? I’ve been tolerating you for the past few hours! Are you that much of a failure that all you can think of is py?!”

  Fuck do I wanna strangle whoever’s making that voice. My anger is getting stronger. But so does the other two feelings. It grows much, much faster than the anger. They’re winning.

  “…”

  After a moment of silence, a scene flickers on and off, accompanied by static noises. Like a broken TV trying to air its show. I can’t quite make what it is yet. but somehow, I have a gut feeling that I’m positive about what it’s trying to show. This continues for a while, until it finally stills.

  Then grief devours me whole and regret tears me in half.

  Through them, I can still see, albeit blurred. There are three… No, I won’t count him as a person; he’s undeserving of being called that. Two people, in a room that’s falling apart. The walls are littered with cracks and brittle at every side. There’s even moss stuck between them. The ceilings are no better, with mold sprouting everywhere. Religious offerings and items are strewn about, supposedly bringing good luck. Yes, I know this pce too well. This is my home.

  Tears began to well up in the younger sister’s eyes. She tries to hide them behind her teddy bear, but her older sister catches wind of it, “Oh please, don’t give me that look. You’re a failure, sis. Look at your grades, your life. You’re nothing a burden to me and the family.”

  The tears let loose. And she fell onto her knees, like a puppet with its strings cut. He simply watches, grinning. You’d think a ‘father’ figure would intervene, saying the asshole sister went too far. But somehow, through his twisted logic, he agrees. I wish I could call him anything but father, but my mind is being swept away. I can’t think of another insult.

  “Your sister is right. You should improve yourself. Remember, we are nothing but insects under the boots of deities. If you don’t fare well with the challenges on Earth…”

  A pause, a long silence filled with dread. Only broken by the occasional sobs of the younger sister. He grabs her by the elbow and pulls her up to her feet. Violently, forcefully. She can only clutch her teddy bear tighter, her only saving grace in this ‘hell.’

  “Look at me.” His hands cup her cheeks, forcing her to look at him, “If you can’t stand the Earth’s challenges, how would you fare against the Gods?! Your skin will melt, and your bones will be ground to dust! Your body will not withstand it, and your eyes will melt into pus. Removing them won’t let you forget what you saw! Better yourself! ” He shakes her head back and forth, as if to nail down his point, to shake some sense into her.

  With how much his eyes are bulging out of its sockets, I’m surprised they haven’t popped off. His unkempt hair, his erratic movements, his dirty clothes—everything about him screams… a fucking maniac.

  “I’m sorry, please forgive me Father…” Those are the only words she can say, to avoid trouble, to lessen her punishment.

  He lets go of her face and ughs maniacally. “Oh but apologies won’t get you nowhere. Especially if the forgiveness comes from ME!” He emphasizes the st word by spitting it at her face.

  “The Gods… yes, yes! The Gods are the only ones who will decide whether or not you are worthy of forgiveness!”

  The older sister steps back, frowning. Even she knows this is going too far. She may have ignited a dynamite; those pent-up feelings Father has are now being shed out at the younger sister. Father lost his job a year ago, and we’re living on scraps and whatever else we can find. His ‘sacred’ tattoos on his forehead and wrists make it impossible for him to find a new job. Though without them, they’d still turn him down. Who would hire a fanatic like him?

  “No matter… It will all end in vain.” He stops, his brain seemingly shutting off. The silence is deafening, consuming us. Then, he reaches out a hand to the younger sister.

  She recoils, stepping back in fear. His face contorts, offended by her reaction. “I am your father. Listen. To me. You really are a failure…” He snatches her hand, yanking her towards him.

  Ah… All I see is fog. Is it the screen? Or is it me? My vision grows murkier by the second. I wish I could do something. Please, do something. You’re the older sister; protect her. But my thoughts fail to reach her. She stands there, frozen. Panic builds inside her, but she’s stuck, rooted in fear.

  “This shall be a lesson to you. This,” he tugs at the girl’s hand, “is what happens if you don’t follow the words of the Gods.”

  Silence, then she replies, “What are you pnning to do…?” Her voice was so quiet, so small. It’s like she doesn’t want him to hear it.

  He fshes a gentle and tender smile, “I will simply witness the judgment of your little sister.”

  With that, the screen goes dark. Maybe it’s just me, but everything feels cloaked in a deep, tainted blue. What’s the point of showing that? I try to reason with the Void, desperate for distraction. I know I’m guilty. I’m the reason everything around me falls apart. I accepted that long ago. So why am I… hurting? It hurts so much.Sis, I’m sorry for being a bad older sister… I’m so sorry… The words slither and coil around my mind. I know it won’t change anything; what’s done is done. And yet, I still think of what-ifs. If she were with me, maybe she wouldn’t face ‘Judgment.’ If I hadn’t been such a fucking brat, this wouldn’t have happened. Sure, I’d lose my parents, but I’d save my sister.I’m sorry… The words begin to soothe me, though I know I’m only prioritizing myself. I’m apologizing for my sake, not hers. I don’t know how long I’ve been muttering these words. It feels like an eternity. I start to hope It would come again, to pick me up. I’m scared.

  I’ll wait… please, bring me out of the Void.

  ***

  To My Eldest,

  This world is a cesspool of sin and suffering. The Gods have shown me the path, the true path, and it is not one of earthly pleasures and false hopes. It is one of sacrifice and redemption.

  You must understand that this is not cruelty; it is salvation. Your mother, your sister, and I—we will be the offering that appeases the divine. We are stained, corrupted by this world, and only through this final act can we cleanse ourselves.

  Your sister is weak. She defies the teachings and brings shame to our name. She must be the first to go, to lead the way to the afterlife. Your mother follows because she has been tainted by her maternal indulgences, failing to uphold the divine will. I am the st, the shepherd guiding my flock to the eternal pastures.

  Do not think of this as murder. It is Judgment, a holy decree that I am bound to fulfill. It pains me that you must find us this way, but you need to see the truth, the depth of our conviction. You are the eldest, the witness, and you must carry this knowledge with you.

  I leave you with a choice: embrace the teachings, or perish in ignorance. This is not a plea for forgiveness, nor an expnation. It is a decration. The Gods have spoken, and I am their instrument.

  Do not mourn us, for we are ascending to a pce of purity, away from the filth of this mortal coil. Know that I loved you all, in the way that the divine love us—fierce, unyielding, and pure.

  May you find the strength to follow the righteous path.

  Father