What Made Him Different

Edward pushed open the front door. In the living room, his mother, Sarah, was bent over, tidying things up.

"Mom, I'm back."

He casually tossed his backpack onto a chair.

Sarah looked up with a gentle smile. "You're back, sweetheart. Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner. While you're at it, go upstairs and call Lily down."

"Okay."

Edward answered and dashed up the stairs in a few quick strides.

Lily's door was slightly ajar, and he pushed it open without hesitation.

Inside, Malkis sat blankly on the edge of the bed, looking bored out of her mind.

The sound at the door instantly snapped her back to attention. She sprang up from the bed and respectfully lowered her head.

"Master, you're back."

Edward nodded expressionlessly and ordered in a matter-of-fact tone, "Jisi, come downstairs for dinner."

The name "Jisi" made Malkis's mouth twitch violently.

Her expression stiffened for a moment. A demon's unwillingness churned within her, but her survival instincts ultimately suppressed it, and she obediently followed Edward downstairs.

After dinner, Edward took his nominal "younger sister" for a walk around the streets to digest their food.

He suddenly stopped and asked casually, "Jisi, can you get me a huge sum of money?"

Malkis froze for a moment before answering honestly, "Uh, I can control wealthy people, make them hallucinate, and have them willingly bring the money to you."

Edward looked disgusted. "How troublesome would it be to do that one by one? Can't you just go to a bank vault and carry some out for me?"

Malkis's face immediately fell. Her voice dropped several notches as she muttered pitifully, "I can't do that, Master."

"And you call yourself a demon?" Edward's disdain practically overflowed. "Sigh, looks like I'll have to rely on myself."

He curled his lip and glanced at Malkis again. "Forget it. I wasn't counting on you anyway."

Malkis felt even more wronged, her voice so low it was almost inaudible. "But demons can't do that either..."

"Hm?"

Edward raised an eyebrow. He had clearly heard her.

Malkis jolted and hurriedly changed the subject, her face full of flattery. "Master, are you tired from walking? How about you sit on me?"

As she spoke, she made as if to get down on all fours.

Edward waved his hands repeatedly in rejection. "Get lost! I don't want people thinking I'm some kind of pervert!"

The two continued down the street, their shadows stretched thin and long by the dim streetlights.

Suddenly, a fierce argument tore through the silence of the night.

Edward frowned and followed the sound, discovering that it was coming from Carrie's house.

Carrie's tearful roar pierced the air. "Why are you always like this? Can't you be like a normal mother for once?!"

Then came the shrill, crazed bellow of her mother, Margaret White. "You are sinful! You were born sinful! Everything you do is wrong! It is sin!"

Edward and Malkis exchanged a look and silently stopped.

Two distorted shadows were reflected in the house's window. One flailed wildly, while the other cowered helplessly.

The argument grew increasingly intense. A loud crash came from inside, as though something had been violently smashed.

Malkis's lips curled upward uncontrollably, excitement gleaming in her eyes.

"There's a show to watch."

Edward said nothing and simply stared at the window.

The lights inside began flickering wildly, brightening and dimming like an old appliance with faulty wiring.

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Carrie's scream became even more shrill. "I've had enough! I've had enough of you!"

Slap!

Another sharp crack rang out. A shard of glass shot from the window, slicing through the air before landing with a clink at their feet.

Malkis crouched down, pinched the fragment between her fingertips, closed her eyes, and sniffed it.

"This aura, suppressed to the absolute limit... how thrilling."

Edward knew that Carrie's power was spiraling out of control at the brink.

Just then, with a deafening bang, the front door was violently slammed open from within.

Carrie rushed out, her hair disheveled and her face streaked with tears of rage and despair.

She glanced at Edward and Malkis but did not stop. She ran desperately toward the other end of the street.

Her mother, Margaret, stood in the doorway like a madwoman, hysterically cursing at her retreating figure. "You can't escape! You devil! You'll go to Hell!"

Edward watched Carrie's fading back before turning his gaze toward the frenzied woman.

He turned his head slightly and asked Malkis in a low voice, "If you absorb the resentment from her, how much stronger will you become?"

Malkis paused and instinctively asked, "Master, do you mean that girl, or her mother?"

Edward frowned and snapped back irritably, "Who else is in front of us?"

Malkis immediately understood. She nodded repeatedly, greed evident in her voice. "Yes, Master! And the rewards will definitely be abundant!"

Edward gave a slight nod and issued his order. "Go. I'll leave this to you."

"As you command, my Master."

Malkis accepted the order respectfully.

The moment she finished speaking, Edward turned and chased after Carrie.

Behind him, the surrounding air temperature suddenly plummeted, and bone-chilling cold emerged from nowhere.

The trees lining both sides of the street swayed without wind, their branches and leaves shaking violently with rustling friction, like countless Evil Ghosts whispering.

Malkis's figure blurred where she stood, transforming into a black phantom that silently drifted toward the woman who was still hurling curses.

Edward searched quickly through the dim streets and finally found Carrie in front of an abandoned old warehouse.

She was curled up in a corner of the warehouse, trembling like a leaf in the wind. Her long, tangled hair covered her face, and only her shoulders, rising and falling with each sob, could be seen.

Edward softened his footsteps and called out tentatively, "Carrie..."

Carrie's body shuddered violently, like a startled deer.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with wariness and terror. Tears pooled in her eye sockets, while dried tear tracks still marked her cheeks.

Edward slowly crouched in front of her, his voice exceptionally gentle. "Don't be afraid. It's me, Edward."

Carrie bit her lip, unable to suppress the sob in her voice. "She's always like this... always saying I'm sinful, saying I'm a monster... I've really had enough..."

By the end, her emotions collapsed again, and she buried her head, sobbing uncontrollably.

The warehouse was filled with the Decay smell of rust and dust. Several strands of pale moonlight shone through holes in the roof, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across the floor, making the place seem even more desolate.

Edward reached out and gently patted her trembling shoulder.

"You're not a monster."

His voice was steady.

"You're just a little different from everyone else. Everyone has something unique about them. That has never been a mistake."

Carrie lifted her tear-filled eyes. There was confusion in them, along with a faint trace of hope.

"Really? You... do you also have something that makes you different from others?"

A mysterious smile curved Edward's lips. He lowered his voice and leaned closer.

"Of course. Mine is more prominent."⁄(⁄ ⁄ ⁄ω⁄ ⁄ ⁄)⁄

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