In Yuan Luoyi's impression, her elder brother Yuan Ao had always been a very neat person.
He would button up his shirt completely, not exposing an inch of skin even in the hot summer. His fingers were long and slim, his nails trimmed evenly, always clean and tidy.
But now, Yuan Luoyi had used her Time Travel Ability to travel to the future after her death, and found that Yuan Ao was different.
The buttons on his collar were undone, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his white shirt spotted with flecks of red, and his hands stained with fresh blood. He had already lost his sanity, consumed by bloodlust.
He stared intently at Yuan Luoyi, his gaze cold and sinister: "You..."
Yuan Luoyi shrank back in fear, her brother had never looked at her with such eyes before, as if a sharp blade were about to cut her open for examination.
For the deceased younger sister to suddenly appear at the doorway at the age of 11 while he was torturing someone, anyone would be suspicious.
How terrifying, this was no longer her brother.
Placing the knife on the table, Yuan Ao used a napkin to roughly wipe his hands, and walked over.
Yuan Luoyi turned and ran, she could hear Yuan Ao's footsteps growing closer and closer, how could her small frame possibly outrun her elder brother?
"Stop!"
After just a few steps, Yuan Luoyi's arm was seized, Yuan Ao gripped it with incredible force, as if to crush her bones, causing Yuan Luoyi to gasp in pain.
She looked at the nearby Yuan Ao with fear, he had changed a lot, especially his eyes, which held a near-manic insanity, an uncontrolled urge to destroy everything, this was the true Yuan Ao.
The gentle elder brother who used to give Yuan Luoyi candies was a false illusion, created solely to deceive her.
Yuan Ao released his grip, and Yuan Luoyi took the opportunity to flee, stumbling backward in panic, she crashed into a cabinet.
"Crash!"
Countless knives and blades fell to the ground, the clattering of metal deafeningly shrill.
Yuan Luoyi collapsed to the floor, her heart pounding, she knew these were her brother's instruments of cruelty, the news said he would brutally torture his victims for days before finally ending their lives.
Yuan Ao stared at Yuan Luoyi, stepping closer, his brow furrowed: "How is this possible..."
He reached out his hand, slowly lowering it, as if to touch Yuan Luoyi, the dried bloodstains made his pale skin appear unnaturally pallid.
Panicked, Yuan Luoyi avoided Yuan Ao's hand, scrambling to her feet and running, dashing aimlessly around the room until she found the front door, yanking it open for an instant, letting in a gust of wind that blew her disheveled bangs aside.
But soon, the door was forcefully shut again, the wind disappearing.
Yuan Ao stood beside Yuan Luoyi, his hand pressed against the door, his dark silhouette enveloping her, his voice devoid of emotion, ice-cold: "You cannot go out."
"Click!" Yuan Ao locked the door.
With no way to escape, Yuan Luoyi could only continue running, making her way to the bathroom, but before she could close the door, Yuan Ao had followed her inside.
Yuan Ao opened his arms to Yuan Luoyi: "Don't be afraid, I'm your brother, I won't harm you."
Yuan Luoyi shrank back against the wall, her voice trembling: "You're different now."
Yuan Ao glanced at his reflection in the mirror, pale and emaciated, expressionless, his clothes stained with blood, indeed different from before, no wonder his little sister was afraid of him.
Turning on the faucet, Yuan Ao calmly washed his hands, letting the running water carry away all traces of red. He removed a clean white shirt and changed, in the glimpse of his bare back, Yuan Luoyi saw many scars, both new and old.
After losing his sister, Yuan Ao had killed many people, and sustained numerous injuries himself, but seemed unable to feel the pain, never halting his path of vengeance.
Buttoning up the last button, Yuan Ao turned to face Yuan Luoyi, extending his hand: "Now I'm the same as before, come here."
Yuan Ao waited patiently...
Finally, Yuan Luoyi took the first step, cautiously approaching Yuan Ao while maintaining some distance.
Yuan Ao said: "It's noon now, are you hungry? Hmm... You must be, kids growing up are always hungry easily."
He lowered his eyes, muttering to himself, then walked out on his own. He rummaged through the fridge, finding only two slices of whole wheat bread and an apple.
Sometimes when Yuan Ao was busy, he would forget to eat, even when restocking food, it was mainly to keep his captives alive a little longer.
He peeled and sliced the apple into chunks, putting them on a plate and setting it on the dining table: "Have some apples first, they're very nutritious."
Yuan Ao pulled out a chair and sat down, frowning as he massaged his temples.
Yuan Luoyi asked: "Brother, do you have a headache?"
Yuan Ao answered: "Yes, it's very painful."
Yuan Luoyi's gaze swept over the array of medicines on the dining table: "Would taking some medicine help ease the pain?"
Yuan Ao let out a resigned chuckle, lounging back lazily, tilting his head up, his hollow eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
"After you died, I probably broke down, every time I close my eyes I see visions of you being hurt by those people, hatred won't let my mind think straight, it's always painful, so many hallucinations, no matter how many I kill it's never enough."
"Medication can control it a little, but..."
"It's good, I get to see you again, so I won't take any for now."
Yuan Luoyi understood, her brother was mistaking her for a hallucination.
Yuan Ao rose to his feet, leaning on the table as he slowly approached Yuan Luoyi: "At this age, you should be in middle school, right? Were you ostracized by your classmates?"
Yuan Luoyi nodded.
Yuan Ao said: "I'm sorry, it was all my fault, if only I had realized sooner, you wouldn't have become so distressed that you had to drop out. When you were at your most vulnerable, I was absent, what an awful brother I am."
"You coming to the Yuan family was a mistake, the other kids were surrounded by love as they grew up, but you were constantly frightened to tears by the five lunatics around you."
He let out a self-deprecating laugh: "None of us understood normal human emotions, how could we possibly take proper care of you? You should have grown up with your real parents, you would have been happier, and not left this world so soon."
"Ugh!" A moan came from the room, from the man they had previously tied up.
Yuan Ao's eyes instantly flashed with murderous rage, he disliked being disturbed, especially when speaking with his sister, no one was allowed to make a sound.
Yuan Luoyi was startled, shrinking back a step in fear.
Yuan Ao reined himself in slightly, speaking softly: "Brother has to go take care of a little nuisance, you stay right here, don't go anywhere, okay?"
Yuan Luoyi trembled as she replied: "Okay."
Yuan Ao left, and soon after, Yuan Luoyi heard the sound of shattering bones, then dead silence, her hands beginning to shake uncontrollably.
Facing this version of her brother required courage. He was broken, his actions unpredictable, full of uncertainty.
But... although he had changed drastically, Yuan Luoyi could now be certain it was indeed her brother.
In the bathroom, when Yuan Ao called her over, aside from the terrifying darkness in his eyes, there was also profound sadness, he was pleading with Yuan Luoyi.
What brother wants to be feared by his own sister?
So, Yuan Luoyi overcame her fear and approached him.
"Phew..."
Yuan Luoyi took a deep breath in and out, steadying her emotions, forcing herself to stop shaking.
Each trip back in time was precious, she had to take action now.
