Hisako stared at the woman kneeling before her, hands clasped in prayer. The knife pressed against her neck felt heavy in Hisako's hands as the woman started to cry.

"Please, don't do this," she said. Hisako started to feel sorry for her. She quickly shoved the thought away.

This was the woman who had turned the whole world against Hisako, her family, her people. The woman who had forced the Areteans into hiding, created a world where showing their powers meant imprisonment or even death. She had founded the idealogy that made Hisako's mother grow to hate her Aretean children. The logic that got Maura kicked out of her house. The thoughts that made Tara's Aretean father drink himself to death while she watched.

This woman was responsible for everything that had gone wrong in Hisako's life. She deserved more than death. She deserved to suffer.

"Please," she said again. Tara put a hand on Hisako's shoulder, urging her to go on.

"You don't deserve mercy, Alexis," Hisako said. Tara smiled.

"Please," Alexis said a third time, more forceful than ever. "I'll fix this. I'll repeal the laws keeping you in hiding, and I'll clear any criminal charges your family has. You can rejoin society!"

"No, we can't," Tara said. "You convinced the entire world that we're monsters, that we deserve death. You think that will disappear once you get rid of a few laws? People will still attack us in the streets. Our homes will still have protestors surrounding them, demanding that we stop living like human beings. Our children will still kill themselves out of fear."

Unpleasant memories returned to Hisako. She ignored them. All she had to do was move the blade, slit her throat, end this.

"I can't control what people do," Alexis said.

"You sure seemed to think the opposite when you tried to stop us using our powers."

"It was dangerous!" Alexis said.

"To who?" Hisako asked. "You? Not having anyone to turn the public against must have been hard for you, wasn't it?"

"Please!" Alexis screamed. "Don't kill me."

Hisako felt a pang of guilt in her stomach. She tried to ignore it, but it ate at her, begging her to just put the knife down. It would be so easy. Put the knife down.

Tara looked at her, a look that seemed to say, if you don't do it, I will.

Hisako took a breath. Just move the knife. Make her pay. Avenge your sisters.

The sisters you haven't seen in years. Who managed to move on from Alexis just fine, living in the underground city. You're the only one who couldn't stop thinking about her, who was so angry that you tried to kill every one of her followers.

"Hisako," Tara said, her tone firm. It was a warning.

"Please! Please, have mercy!" Alexis yelled.

Hisako closed her eyes and swiped the blade across Alexis's neck. The sounds of her death echoed in her mind.

She opened her eyes, unable to look away from the corpse. She had just murdered that woman. Not an innocent woman, but still. Was this right?

Tara smiled. "Don't you hate it when they beg for mercy?"