I Don't Need To Log Out

Efsa woke up every night.

He didn't need anyone to tell him what was going on. He knew. He had listened quietly, again and again, through the walls of their small home.

And every night, he slipped out of bed to check on their mother. She never noticed.

She sat inside her room, back against the wall, crying as quietly as she could. Her hand covered her mouth to muffle the sobs, but they still reached Efsa.

He thought maybe it would stop. Maybe one day she would cry a little less. But she didn't.

In fact, she cried more as the days passed. As the time approached.

And one night, it was different.

Instead of Efsa getting up to see her, she came into their room. Her footsteps were slow, like every step dragged her deeper into something she couldn't return from.

She sat beside Asef's bed to pet his head with a trembling hand, silent tears falling onto the blanket.

Then, softly, she whispered: "I'm sorry."

After she left, Efsa, already awake, sat up in bed.

He didn't need to ask.

He knew.

It was time.

Without a word, he rose and followed her out of the room.

They met the village chief under the faint light of dawn.

A few others were there too, strong, able men of the village. None of them spoke much. They had grim expressions and weapons at their side.

"Are you ready?" the chief asked quietly.

"Yes," his mother replied. Her voice barely held together. "Please, make it quick. I don't want him to suffer."

It was clear.

They were going to kill his brother today.

And the extra swords? They weren't just there for Asef. They were for control. In case anything went wrong with Asef... or what was inside him.

Efsa didn't wait.

He stepped forward, putting himself between the others and the house.

"I won't let you kill him!"

His mother turned, shocked. "%&/%&! What are you doing here?"

"I know what you're trying to do," he said, drawing the sword he had hidden beneath his cloak. "And I won't let you."

The men reacted immediately. Hands moved to hilts, blades were drawn.

But before they could close in, his mother raised her hands and stepped between them.

"Wait! He's just a child! Let me speak to him."

She approached him slowly, her voice tight. "Efsa, please… there's a reason we have to do this—"

"I know," he cut her off, eyes locked on hers. "But it's too soon. Nothing's happened yet. And we don't even know if what he said is true." He pointed to the chief.

The chief's expression darkened. "We can't afford to wait, boy. If the stories are true, and that thing takes over your brother, it won't stop. It'll destroy everything."

Efsa's voice rose. "Nothing like that will happen! I've been training. I'll stop him if anything goes wrong."

But they didn't stop. Upon the chief's signal, they slowly moved towards the house.

Efsa jumped toward the door, determined to stop them.

The chief gave a small, bitter shake of his head. "Do you think we enjoy this? We wouldn't be here if your idiot brother hadn't been so greedy!"

That was the final straw.

With a furious shout, Efsa surged forward and swung.

No one expected it.

Least of all the chief, who hadn't even raised a hand in defense. The village chief was an old guy without a weapon.

The sword cleaved through him. The old man dropped like a puppet with cut strings.

Everyone looked at the limped body of the chief and Efsa in silence for a few seconds.

Even his mother was looking with wide eyes.

Efsa panted, gripping his sword tightly, staring at the lifeless body on the ground.

Then someone whispered, "Take him down!"

Weapons were raised, and they charged.

His mother screamed, trying to get between them, but she was powerless.

Efsa didn't hold back.

He moved like water, his sword flashing through the air. He dodged, parried, and disarmed. His blade cut through men with years of experience.

He didn't even feel like himself.

It was like watching through a window. His mind was calm, focused, and detached.

His mother started to prevent it. But she had no weapon. Even if she had, she wasn't strong enough.

But, to her surprise, nothing happened to Efsa.

She didn't know this before, but her son was strong.

Was it a good thing? Her son was killing the men of the village one by one.

But he would be safe at least.

She felt like the villain here, but she still needed to save one of his sons at least. She would be the villain to save him.

So, she had to continue.

Even though it tore her heart to pieces, she had to continue with the plan.

So, she went around the house while Efsa was fighting the others.

In the meantime, Efsa was fighting well above his level should be.

He was around 15 years old, so his body hadn't even developed yet.

Especially against the 4 remaining men who had well-built bodies.

And soon, it was over.

The four men were dead.

Efsa stood alone, chest heaving.

He looked around. His mother was gone.

No.

He ran inside the house.

And there she was.

Standing at Asef's bedside. A knife in her hand, raised in the air.

Time seemed to stop.

Efsa lost his reasoning for a second.

And in the next one, he had already done it.

He stabbed.

The blade went in clean.

His mother gasped and slowly turned her head.

"Mom!" Efsa screamed. He knew it was meaningless.

But, unlike what he thought, his mother didn't look at him with despise.

"At least thanks to you, I didn't become a filicide. I'm sorry for putting this on you."

She smiled.

Then, she closed her eyes. And... she was gone.

Efsa didn't know what kind of face to make.

His heart was hurting so much that he couldn't move.

In his hands, his mother died. He just held her, feeling the warmth slip away.

That was when Asef woke up.

Of all times.

He sat up. Blinked. And saw her.

And saw Efsa.

His eyes opened wide.

And then...

An explosion.

Just like the one that happened on Trion, but at a much smaller scale.

The roof of the house was gone.

Efsa had just enough time to leap away with his mother's body.

"Mom!" Asef called this time. His voice cracked.

But there was no answer.

Efsa put her on the ground.

He could tell everything to Asef.

He could tell him that he was about to be killed, so Efsa saved him, his brother, the most important person to him.

To the degree that he killed their mother.

But he didn't.

It wouldn't be a solution.

If he told him everything, Asef would blame himself for looking at the well and letting all this happen.

There was no way out now, other than playing the criminal.

Then, the same scene happened again.

Efsa and Asef fought.

Asef's eyes were redder than before. But he still lost.

Efsa didn't kill him, obviously.

And then he left.