"Hesitation" (
Summary
Tao starts to realize that her younger brother Jin, who disappeared nine years ago, has somehow transformed into a Maga. One night, Jin offers to introduce her to him and gradually takes on the familiar aura of the Jin she remembers. However, as soon as Jin catches sight of Tao, he becomes visibly distressed and unleashes a swarm of Magas by opening a mysterious "gate." Confused and unable to react, Tao finds herself in a dire situation until Alma steps in, using his newfound ability to break free from constraints, to confront and rescue her from the Magas.
When Alma finally reaches Jin, he rejects his approach and begins to strangle him. Despite Alma's desperate pleas, telling Jin that Tao has been searching for him tirelessly, the strangling only intensifies. In a critical moment, Tao takes drastic action to save Alma by shooting off Jin's arm, her beloved brother.
Feeling that Alma's intervention is a form of self-replacement, Jin shuts himself off emotionally and reverts to his alter ego, Yoru.
Meanwhile, while Tao is imprisoned, Jin remains steadfast in his belief in her. Unable to endure his father's abuse, Jin creates a new persona named "Yoru" for self-protection. Yoru eliminates their father, but struggles to maintain control over his own identity, ultimately reverting to Jin after the deed is done. Confronted with his father's lifeless body, Jin opts for suicide by hanging. However, he is revived as a Maga by the underworld's power, provided with the safe haven he longed for in life. With a brighter smile than ever before, he reunites with his "family."
Plot Details
Tao hesitates, pointing the gun at her younger brother Jin.
While Tao grapples with her hesitation, holding the gun before her younger brother Jin, Alma arrives. Yoru takes a step back, but is ultimately knocked to the ground by Alma's kick. Alma almost strikes him, but Tao intervenes, halting Alma's attack. In that moment, Alma realizes that the person before him is none other than Yoru, the same person from his encounter at Meito Shrine. This revelation triggers memories of Alma's recent conversation with Tatsuomi, where they discussed Tao's nine-year search for someone and the identity of the hanging murderer, who turns out to be Yoru himself.
At that moment, Yoru's injured hand healed instantly as he muttered about feeling abandoned by Tao and siding with a stranger, referring to Alma, which left Alma shocked as he had no prior knowledge of Tao having a sibling, and also puzzled by Yoru's ability to heal. Yoru then speculated that Tao likely didn't disclose her relationship with her younger sibling, himself, because she either couldn't or wouldn't admit that she was responsible for her brother's assumed death. He then hinted that he would allow them to meet Jin, his original persona.
Jin felt initially confused upon seeing Alma but recognized him, which lifted his spirits. However, upon seeing his older sister Tao, memories of her younger self triggered shock and anger in him.
At that precise moment, Jin appeared, initially confused upon spotting Alma, but his mood brightened as he recognized him. However, his demeanor shifted to shock and rage when he saw his older sister, Tao, standing before him, triggering memories of Tao's younger self. This caused Jin to become hysterical, demanding answers from Alma as to why he was with Tao, who had abandoned him when he was just a child. Jin expressed his feelings of betrayal, recounting Tao's promises to protect him, which he perceived as lies. Overwhelmed by his emotions, Jin collapsed to his knees, triggering the opening of the Maga "gate." A swarm of black crows emerged from the gate, followed by a horde of Magas, all unleashed by Jin's emotional turmoil.
Jin opened the Maga's "gate."
Alma, noticing Tao's predicament, offered his assistance, no longer willing to be dead weight in such situations. He declared his independence, expressing his readiness to fight without Tao's permission, invoking the "Kai" chant. Alma took charge of the situation, swiftly dispatching and decapitating the Magas that emerged from the gate. Meanwhile, Jin remained on his knees, sobbing and terrified by the chaos unfolding around him. As Alma attempted to approach Jin, who was visibly hysterical, Jin instead used his psychokinetic power to stop Alma and began strangling him. He expressed his belief that Alma was a good guy, but he suspected Alma had lied to him about everything. Despite being strangled and still in his half-Maga form, Alma indicated that while he didn't know much about Jin and Tao's past as siblings, he was certain Tao would never lie. Alma mentioned that Tao had been searching for Jin for the past nine years and had never abandoned those close to her. This statement triggered Jin's hysteria once again, causing him to become somewhat preoccupied, which gave Tao enough time to sever Jin's hands, allowing Alma to be released from the strangulation for at least 3 minutes.
Tao shot Jin's hands to release Alma from being strangled.
At this point, Yoru emerged once again, expressing that she valued Alma, which he refers to as his stand-in, even more than himself, her own brother. Yoru indicated that Jin became scared and withdrew, but he still managed to facilitate a brief reunion between Jin and his older sister Tao. Now, it was Yoru's turn to depart. Before leaving, he assured Alma once more that he would fill him in on the details he was unaware of. Yoru then called out Tao, claiming that everything she said was a lie, prompting Alma to remark that they had just discussed this, assuming he was still talking to Jin.
Despite blaming Tao, he found solace in meeting Yomi, who promised him safety and family.
Yoru revealed that their mother never visited God and that there were plenty of worries, with nothing being okay. He emphasized that Tao wasn't there to protect Jin, so he, Yoru, took on that responsibility and was the one who killed their father. He admitted that at first, he struggled to maintain control and reverted to Jin before long. Yoru recounted the suffering caused by Jin's suicide, lamenting that the young Jin had merely wanted to live. Despite blaming everything on Tao, he expressed gratitude, as their encounter with Yomi wouldn't have happened otherwise. Yomi promised him a safe place and a family to eat dinner with, fulfilling his desires, which is why he had never been happier since dying. Yoru pledged to continue killing for Yomi and declared that if Tao were to die one day, he wouldn't consider her part of the family. With that, Yoru exited through the gate, waving goodbye to Alma and Tao, who were left behind.
Quick References
Chapter Notes
- Tao hesitates holding a gun before her brother Jin, leading to Alma's arrival and subsequent revelation of Yoru's identity as Tao's younger brother.
- Alma kicks Yoru to the ground, but Tao intervenes before Alma can strike him.
- Alma realizes Yoru's identity, triggering memories of recent conversations and revelations about Tao's search for someone and the hanging murderer's true identity.
- Yoru's injured hand heals instantly, leading to speculation about Tao's undisclosed relationship with him and her assumed responsibility for his past.
- Jin's shock and rage surface upon seeing Tao, triggering memories of abandonment and betrayal, leading to the unleashing of a horde of Magas.
- Alma declares his independence, ready to fight without Tao's permission, and takes charge of dispatching the Magas.
- Jin uses his psychokinetic power to strangle Alma, expressing suspicion and confusion about Alma's intentions.
- Tao intervenes by severing Jin's hands, releasing Alma from the strangulation.
- Yoru expresses affection for Alma, recounts past events, reveals truths about their family, and pledges loyalty to Yomi before departing through the gate.
Characters in Order of Appearance
Author's Comment
| Author's Comments | |
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Yuto Sano |
Long time no see. Sorry for the wait. It would make me happy if you’d give my series a read!
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