Author's Note: I apologize profusely for being MIA for so long... I hope you enjoy this chapter!

They found the connection for the last girl. Mayou was her name. She was found in a ditch a few kilometres from the crash that killed her parents. She could not remember her name or anything at all. They kept her at a hospital while she recovered then moved her to a temporary home, hoping that someone would come to claim her. Nobody did. With the death of her parents, there was no one left for her. Or at least no one that would want to take her in.

After two months, Mayou was taken to an orphanage. She was very bright and the caretakers enjoyed her presence. Being the sweet girl she was, she was adopted not long after being at the orphanage. Mayou was nine years old when her parents died but with no memories of her loving parents, she was not too curious about her past. When she went back to the orphanage to read the report, she likely thought that she had been abandoned.

Mayou had a good adoptive family. She worked diligently and was rewarded with being the valedictorian when she graduated. She had just started with university. She was studying psychology with the intent of becoming a child psychologist. She was a good person. Never over her limit with drinking, never intentionally hurt anyone (according to those around her but nobody wishes to speak ill of the dead), never dated anyone.

So how was she judged?

They say that the sins of the father is passed on to the child.

I remember that ten months after we moved away due to the divorce, Mother was furious as she saw the news. There was also a small broadcast about a girl who had been abandoned and for people to call in if they had any information.

That is where it all started, I think. Mother could not extract her revenge on those that she wanted to therefore she looked for the face of her dead friend in other women and girls.

The pieces start to fit together. The news was about a couple who had just had a daughter and were driving on their way home when they had an accident. The couple was my Father and that woman. The baby that died was the one in her womb when I saw that woman for the last time. Mayou was born before, in fact, she was likely conceived the night before Mother’s and Father’s wedding. She was older than me.

It all adds up. Mother had acted strangely when we passed Mayou on the streets. Her face had gone blank. Completely void of any emotion as she stared after this girl.  I thought her next words would be for me to follow the girl and take note of any suspicious behaviour. Needless to say those were not her words.

*Flashback start*

Mother chased after her. “Hanbin, go get me rope and wait for my call,” she commanded.

I bought the rope and waited for my phone to ring. My phone vibrated and I picked up the call.

“Hanbin, come to the alleyway by the club.” She hung up.

I was confused, usually we would not work this fast.

I arrived at the place. Back then I had known Mayou as the girl. She was unconscious and there was a wound by the side of her head. Mother took the rope from me and began to do tie the knots.

After tying the knots, Mother opened her handbag and took out the dagger. Without a word Mother completed the ritual and stabbed the girl in the heart. The dagger came out and blood gurgled out with the last of her heartbeats. Mother then carved the hourglass with the cross going through it with such ferocity that it went straight to the bone. The symbol of the goddess of revenge glistened with blood, she had her sacrifice.

Mother must have felt satisfied. I was beyond confused. I could not comprehend what had happened. I began to panic in my mind. The smell of fresh blood further clouded the logic that usually protected me. Mother sensed it.

“Calm my child, today we have rid the world of one of the darkest of evils,” Mother said with silent triumph that I could not find reason for.

*Flashback end*

I believed her. After all, this was all for Jinhwan, every evil that fell was for him.

Even before Jinhwan was born, she kept telling how it was my duty to protect him.

With the lack of planning and detail working, it should have come as no surprise when two and a half weeks later the police came knocking. Initially they had thought it was only this one murder but digging deeper they saw the patterns with the dates as well.

Soon they found the different connections that we had to the victims, usually for the older ones it would be co-workers or the affairs of Mother’s co-workers. My first murder, I was the hired boy across the street, the second, I was one of the teachers at the aftercare where her son was at, the third, I worked as a teller where she and her stolen man met. The fourth… Well I suppose that it was quite the enigma, the outlier, the one that threw them off for a long while. It was only because a dedicated detective took the time to piece together her history that the link was found.

With all these new thoughts, I tried hard to look at the whole puzzle. It kept drifting away like a rogue feather, I could not catch it. All of this was revenge. It was never truly about Jinhwan, it was about what Father had done and what everyone else must pay for. I closed my eyes.

*Flashback*

“I promise to always look after my little brother. I will guide him and ensure the path of darkness is one he will never walk by. I will always love him and put him before me,” an eight-year old me said with a small proud smile as I looked up to Mother. Mother’s lips upturned slightly and she her hand through my hair.

“Never forget Hanbin, family comes first especially blood family. Blood is what binds us together and gives us life,” Mother said looking at me with a serious expression.

*Flashback end*

From the time Mother knew she was pregnant to the time she gave birth, she made sure I knew everything to do with family came first (especially Jinhwan) and my duty was to take care of him. I was supposed to preserve what little pureness there was in our family. Most importantly though, it was because he was family by blood, through blood our connection was amplified. It was because of this that I had to take care of Mother and Jinhwan, they were a part of my blood.

Mayou was of my blood too. Maybe not the same as Jinhwan but she was Father’s daughter. The baby that died, she was my family too. I was told that I was to care and guard family, why would Mother make me break my promise? She made me watch as my sister was killed without me knowing.

I am starting to think too much. The flashes of the women starting to fill my mind, too many, too fast, too detailed. I held my head between my hands. The throbbing was becoming too much, it was becoming too painful, the light hanging from my ceiling became too bright then faded out and darkness overcame me.