Change observed the fallen man's remains with a mixture of contempt and coldness. Then he raised his gaze to the two men who remained, and that same contempt transformed into something worse: an icy hatred, so intense it chilled the air around him.
"Now," he began in a grave voice, each word carrying the weight of a sentence. "Which of you attacked Diamond?"
The dummy on the left looked down at his partner's mangled body. For a moment, he thought about lying. He could say it was him, the one already lying on the ground, torn in two. A simple excuse... if Change weren't there, looking at him with those eyes that seemed to pierce through any attempt at deception.
"Don't you dare lie," Change warned, his tone turning icy. "I'll know. If you tell the truth, I'll let the innocent one of you go free."
The one on the left swallowed, his trembling gaze shifting to his partner.
"It was him! He brought the loot!" he cried desperately
The other looked at him with a mixture of terror and fury.
"You damned traitor!" he roared, and lunged at him with a clumsy attempt to strike.
But he didn't even take a full step. Change barely moved his fingers, and several shards of ice formed in the air, slicing off the attacker's limbs. The sound was sharp, precise. The dummy fell to the ground, immobilized, its plastic and fabric body dismembered.
Change walked slowly toward him, his eyes never leaving his. He passed the other man, who was trembling, and pointed at him with one hand. A small sphere of fire began to form in his palm, crackling softly and illuminating the cave with an orange glow. The message was clear.
"You said you weren't going to kill me!" the dummy shrieked, desperate.
Change raised an eyebrow, without a trace of compassion.
"I lied," he replied calmly
The fireball shot out at great speed, piercing the accused's cloth chest. The impact was brutal, tearing out his ceramic heart and leaving a burning hole in the middle of his body. An instant later, the doll fell motionless to the ground, reduced to silence and ash.
After finishing off the second member of the group, Change turned to the last of them: the true culprit. Without a word, he grabbed him by his clothes and lifted him up with ease. In his gaze there was no doubt, no compassion. Only a contained fury that soon found its release.
The first blow was sharp, precise. Then came the second. The third. And so a succession of punches, one after another, delivered with relentless force. The plastic dummy had no time to plead; it barely grunted and roared in pain, as pieces of its face flew off with each impact, falling to the ground amid fragments and broken remains.
Change kept hitting, his brow furrowed and teeth clenched, his breath ragged with rage. After a series of brutal blows, he paused for a moment to catch his breath.
"Please!" the dummy begged, its voice trembling and broken. "I didn't know it was something of yours!"
It was talking about Diamond. But Change didn't hear it. The plea was lost in its ragged breathing and the damp echo of the cave. He raised his fist again and resumed punching with even more fury. The sound of plastic shattering filled the air, until, finally, Change felt it was enough
The doll's face was unrecognizable, disfigured, its body barely held up by its own inertia. Half-conscious, weak, now without strength or voice.
Change held it for a few more seconds, looked at it silently, and then plunged his hand into its chest. The crack was clear and final: the ceramic heart broke in two. Its suffering ended there, abruptly.
Change released the body, which fell to the ground with a dry sound, echoing in the silence of the cave. He gasped softly, trying to calm his breathing. Then, without looking back, he picked up the bag of coins—the same ones that belonged to Diamond—and left that place.
Meanwhile, at home, Diamond had regained some energy. With renewed strength, he decided to prepare a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe. He seemed to have all the necessary ingredients; they were common, nothing complicated. Moving carefully, he began to measure the flour, sugar, and cocoa, following the recipe he remembered step by step
He was already clean, wearing new clothes: soft blue overalls, decorated with small pink bows along the edges, shorts, and suspenders. As he mixed the dough, he hummed a sweet tune, unaware of what was happening outside.
When the cookies were in the oven, Diamond began cleaning up everything he had dirtyed. He couldn't leave that mess of plates and cutlery; that would only create more work for Change, and that wasn't his intention. He wanted everything to be perfect when he returned.
After a while, the aroma of chocolate filled the house. Diamond, wearing oven mitts, took out the tray and placed the freshly baked cookies on a pretty plate. Then he turned off the oven and waited for it to cool, while the smell enveloped the room in a comforting warmth.
Shortly after, the door opened. Change entered the hallway. The aroma stopped him in his tracks. For a moment, the weight of everything that had happened outside seemed to vanish. He looked up and saw Diamond standing there, holding the plate of cookies.
"Welcome," Diamond greeted him softly. "I made cookies. You said that when I learned a recipe, I could make them."
He extended the plate with a shy smile.
Change looked at him, and a gentle expression—very different from the one he'd worn a few minutes before—came to his face. He approached slowly, took a cookie, and sat down in a chair in the living room.
For a moment, home felt like a refuge again.
Diamond placed the plate on the table as Change bit into a cookie with a serene expression. The atmosphere was calm, filled with the sweet aroma of still-warm chocolate.
Diamond approached slowly and placed his hands on one of Change's knees.
"Do you like it?" he asked with a mixture of nervousness and hope.
Change nodded, replying in a calm tone:
"It's very good."
Diamond smiled happily, her eyes sparkling with mild pride.
"It's the first time I've made cookies... maybe they have some flaws," she admitted modestly.
"Perhaps," Change replied, letting a slight smile curve her lips.
She carefully took Diamond's hand, studying it closely. On her fingers still remained faint ink marks, remnants of work in the library; the cloth skin, clean but now stained a dark hue, seemed to have kept those traces forever. The velvety surface, once pure white, now showed the scars of life outside the shelter.
"But I couldn't criticize something you made, with these soft hands," Change murmured finally.
She brought her hand to her lips and placed a delicate kiss upon it
Diamond blushed, noticing the heat rising to her face. For a moment she thought about pulling away, about refusing... but she did it. She remained still, letting that simple gesture envelop her in a strange and sweet, almost new, sensation.
Looking down, Diamond noticed a bag on the floor. She bent down, carefully opened it, and, seeing inside, recognized the coins that had been stolen from her. She looked up, surprised.
"Change...? You came for my money?" she asked softly.
He nodded, bluntly.
"Yes," he replied simply.
Diamond straightened up, taking a few steps toward him.
"I don't want you to get into trouble... or put yourself in danger for me," she pleaded with concern.
Change didn't respond. He just calmly bit into the last piece of cookie, his silence more eloquent than any words.
"Thank you..." Diamond whispered at last, giving in with a trembling smile.
She slowly approached and hugged him. Change placed a firm hand on her back, returning the gesture with one arm.
"You're welcome," he said finally, softly.
The house was filled with a deep calm. After everything that had happened, that hug was the respite they both needed
A few hours passed, and when night fell, Change was already in the bedroom, getting ready for sleep. As she turned over, she heard Diamond's footsteps approaching.
"Can I...?" she asked, trailing off.
Change didn't respond with words. He simply lifted the covers, inviting her into bed. It was the second time they had shared that space in just a few days, but after everything she had been through, it was only natural that Diamond would seek company.
As they lay down together, Diamond snuggled up beside her, resting her head on her ceramic arm. They remained silent for a moment, listening only to their shared breathing.
"I want to tell you something," Diamond murmured finally.
Change looked down, attentive.
"I want to work as an explorer... like you. With you." Her voice trembled slightly, but her words were filled with determination.
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