Chapter Text
“It’s all his fault!” Li Tianchen yells, sobbing into the arms of his dear friend. Liu Xiao, who was trying to ‘comfort’ the pink-haired boy couldn’t help but show some of the disgust he felt on his face. Tianchen was about to continue on his rant, until he got a glimpse of Liu Xiao’s disapproving face, and quickly tried to shut himself up.
He wiped the tears from his eyes, “I’m sorry…”
Liu Xiao just sighed, “I’ve told you before, I can’t be friends with someone so.. weak.” Li Tianchen’s eyes widened a bit, he opened his mouth to protest his friend’s words, to apologize and promise to now show his feelings again, but Liu Xiao spoke up again. “I know, I know. You’re not as weak and pathetic as you look right now. Your sisters death must be weighing on you a lot.” His words sounded bland; he lacked empathy, he was aware of that, and that it didn’t necessarily make him stronger, it just made him abnormal. He tried to sound like he actually cared about the situation.
“Listen, Li Tianchen. Prove you’re a hunter. Don’t let them take any more from you. Prove you’re not weak. Prove that this didn’t affect you at all, even if it did. Make them fear you still.” He grinned “You still have a power that can shatter them, even if it’s not amplified anymore. Take your feelings, and turn them into something stronger. Use them against your enemy.”
Li looks off to the side, a bit disappointed in himself for letting himself break down like he did. “How should I do that? What am I supposed to do?” He looks back at Liu Xiao, with intensive eyes. ‘Help me’ he said, but without words. Liu let a small, sadistic grin paint his face for a moment. “Turn your feelings into anger. Anger towards the person who just STOOD there as your sister was shot! The person who could take a bullet for his own friend, but not your sister. The person who gained your sisters trust, almost gained your trust even, only to kill your sister.” He was careful with how he worded everything he said to Tianchen; he was so easy to manipulate for his own satisfaction.
Liu Xiao had always been good at manipulating others. It’s unknown to those around him if he holds some sort of power or not, but if he didn’t, his manipulation and ability to groom someone so perfectly might as well have been a power of its own.
Li Tianchen felt tears threaten to escape the corners of his eyes, but took his dearest friend’s advice; and forced his feelings to fester into anger instead. Anger towards the raven-haired boy who killed his sister.
“It’s all his fault.” This time, his words were laced with malice. They were spoken darkly, angrily. The low, threatening growl that coated the words as they rolled off his tongue made Xiao’s skin crawl; in the best way possible. The sadistic grin from earlier came back, and he didn’t try to hide it this time. “That’s right, Li Tianchen! That’s the spirit. You’re a man. You don’t cry over your sister, you do what a brother should do. You avenge her.”
Liu Xiao places his hand firmly on the smaller boy’s shoulder. “You go show Cheng Xiaoshi exactly how he made you feel.” He pulls out the phone that Li Tianchen had retrieved for him, belonging to his own deceased sibling, Liu Min. He pulls up the photo Cheng Xiaoshi had sent to his brother’s phone, when they plotted to get him arrested all that time ago. “You remember how to get there, right?” He hands it to Li Tianchen. Li nods, taking the phone and beginning to discuss a plan.
Cheng Xiaoshi was supposed to return from the hospital within the next couple days. With both of the boys he faced previously still recovering from pretty severe injuries, he was sure he could pull off some form of revenge.
He would show them a hell on earth. It’s what they deserved, for taking away his beloved little sister.