Alice placed her hand on her head.

Ah, yes, she kept forgetting because the evil in the current world revolved around awakeneds who were all so powerful that they could get away with most of their evil deeds.

But before the apocalypse, the world was already filled with a bunch of disgusting animals wearing human skin.

It was horrible.

"This little boy watched all this and his heart fell into his stomach. He watched them hack his mother into two just to run out her intestines and..." He stopped there. The content might be too disturbing to say. As long as she understood what was going on, then it was enough.

"Humans have been sick creatures with greed from the dawn of time." Leo exclaimed and they both turned to find his face filled with spite and annoyance. "To what extent must one go to show the color red?"

"Leo," Alice called softly. He was upset, she could tell. But it was just a story. Ah, no. Even if it was just a story, it did mean something like this could not happen in real life.

Alice had no idea. She was the only one taking this tale as just a story when the other two knew it was a life story.

Maybe it was because she did not want to equate this experience with anyone she knew but she did not want to admit that this was a life story.

Devon sighed and continued,

"The little boy took a step back only to get discovered but that was all he remembered. Why was he left alive, he had no idea but he would make them regret their actions."

"And how did he do it?"

"He simply attacked them while they were asleep." He said, and Alice flinched.

"Wait, could you remind me? This little boy is four years old, right?" Alice asked, unsure if this was something a four-year-old would think of.

"He was five years old when he decided to enact his revenge and take back his brother." Devon explained. "Anyway, we seem to be dallying too much. So, I’ll get to the point. This little boy stabbed both husband and wife in the neck while they were asleep. Then, he took his brother out before setting the house on fire."

"Ah, to think he has such a strong mind to do that. His level of hatred must’ve skyrocketed." He said, and Devon nodded.

"Yes, but his anger and hatred burnt with that house. He cried at what he had done. Holding his 2-year-old brother in his arms he quickly realized the gravity of what he had done. ’Once revenge was over, what did a person have to live for?’ He asked himself this, but the smile of his baby brother, who had recognized him, gave him a reason to continue living. And for the things he had done, he decided he would atone. He would only show his brother the sun and never the night. He would smile, do good, and be the kind of person his brother could look up to. A man of purity."

He once again looked at his hand, which had begun to tremble slightly.

"This little boy grew up in the orphanage alongside his brother, and he even chased away anyone who tried to adopt either of them. If they weren’t taking them both then they did not want it. It was selfish, yes, but that was how much he wanted to be with his brother. How much he never wanted to be separated from him. He was a sunny child outside but on the inside, he held dark thoughts. It was a nightmare." He brushed his hand through his hair. "But he did vow never to kill again. If he didn’t kill them, maybe his goal of being completely pure for his brother would be easier."

"And did he succeed?" Alice asked, her tone soft and mellow. "Did he achieve his goal?"

Devon shook his head.

"When faced with wanting to remain pure and a monster that could eat his brother in front of him, he chose to throw away his quest to become a pure being and save his brother. He decided to save his world." He clenched his fists. "In his heart, he knew he could never completely clean his hands and become pure again, but in the eyes of everyone who watched his heroic deeds, in the eyes of the constitutions who bestowed power to mere mortals, he was more than worthy. He was deemed a kind soul who would put the lives of others before his very own. But they know nothing." He covered his face with the back of his palm. "They don’t know how harsh life treated him. They don’t know what drives him to be good and put others before him. They don’t know..."

Alice reached her hand out to him and hugged him, shocking him.

He was putting on a strong front because he did not want to give himself away to Alice who was clueless about the owner of this story. But little did he know that Alice had already caught on to it.

She was dumb but not that dumb.

"Do you regret it?" She asked him. "Do you regret dirtying your hands to accomplish your goal?"

"No," he answered. "I would do it again if I had to. I would take my brother back."

"Then, do you regret trying to be good? Do you regret being a hero?" She asked one more question that made him think.

"No, I don’t." He answered. "I love being good. I love putting people’s safety before mine. I love it when they thank me for my efforts in keeping them safe. I love all of it, but... But I feel I don’t deserve any of it. I’m not the kind and pure person they look up to. I have desires that could disappoint them. And... I am very selfish. I hide it because I don’t want to be a disappointment to anyone."

"Your words contradict each other." Alice said. "Seriously, who cares if you’re selfish with worldly desires? You’re not a god and trust me, even gods are dumb and have selfish desires."

Leo felt his ear itch. Was she talking about him?

"As long as you get what you want, as long as you do not die in vain and in regret, that’s all that matters." She explained. "Live, Devon. Live your life because it’s yours. Do not give it up just because others expect so much from you. Think of your brother and live."

Devon’s eyes gradually grew teary and he bit his lip. He grabbed her arm and held it tightly as he hid his face in her embrace to cry.

"Alice," he sobbed, and she felt her heartache. Gosh, a handsome man was crying. What was she supposed to feel? She wanted to cheer him up but he ended up crying. "Are you disappointed in me?" He asked but she shook her head, stroking his head.

"No, Devon. I’m not disappointed. I could never be disappointed. Hero or Villain, whichever you choose to be, I will never be disappointed in you because it’s your choice. Live by choice and not by fate. And make sure to stay handsome when you choose, okay? Your face matters."

He heard her last words, and that put a smile on his face. Her simplicity in caring for handsome faces was just so unique.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com