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English
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Published:
2023-10-16
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1,828
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1/1
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The Greatest Liar In The World - Omori One Shot

Summary:

"Something inside Kel died that day, and it died forever. There’s a cornice deep inside him which rots eternally and deep, deep hatred takes root. It spreads like a virus, and hurts like one as well. It bleeds him so much, like an animal at the slaughterhouse."
Kel character study with a very minor deviation from the actual story of Omori. Based on the events surrounding Kel and Hero's fight mentioned in-game.

Notes:

Don't examine this too closely. I found some time to project some of my own personal troubles onto Kel. Don't expect much quality. I have to study for university and find some balance in my life. Thank you for clicking on the story.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Kel is a great liar. He is the greatest there is in the whole wide world. If lying was an Olympic sport, he would have certainly become a gold medalist. If it was a university department, he would have graduated summa cum laude. If a dictionary with pictures existed, “liar” would be followed by a picture of Kel.

 

Kel was fine. He pretended to not be affected by Mari’s suicide. Was it his own copying mechanism? Was it pure ignorance? Maybe he wanted to give a good example to his friends that, no matter how insurmountable a trouble might seem, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

 

He sure had cried, a lot. Wailed like an animal in pain, sobbed hard when nobody was around to notice his weakness. But it was nothing more than a mere “tough time”. It’s gone, right? All that is needed is a smile, a fake, plastic smile to flash onto everybody. A disgusting, reassuring grin. A stupid mantra or two to repeat to himself every morning, and one day he might believe them.

 

 

And one day, maybe one god forsaken day, Hero might come out of his bed and be his true, old self again. He could become the Hero that Kel knew and loved and could rely on when darkness clouded his judgement. He would become his hero again, and save him from the disaster, the drowning, the car crash, the void.

 

Aubrey wouldn’t terrorize and bully him at the cold school corridors. She wouldn't hit him anymore out of sheer spite, or for no reason at all, which Kel feared the most. He can't keep hiding the bruises on his arms and the small wounds on his thighs and oddly bluish color of his sternum. She wouldn't look at him with disgust or contempt anymore. She would thouroughly apologize and forgive him, if he ever did anything wrong to her. And their friendship, albeit differences and quarrels, would be stronger than glue.

 

Basil and Sunny wouldn’t be so terrified anymore. They wouldn't look at Kel again with their huge puppy dog irises as if they were expecting a horrible beating. Theu wouldn't shake like an earthquake or hide from him in their houses, probably harming themselves. Kel would make them as happy as they would make him.

 

And everything would be right once again.

 

 

Kel was fine, until he wasn’t.

 

Something in Kel had fundamentally shattered that night. Something so pivotal inside him was so utterly destroyed that got him tearing himself apart. He was both the convicted one and the executioner. The crow and Prometheus. The lonely and their prey. He could never imagine becoming a victim of such a terrible berating, by none other than his own brother. Hero’s words were venom, pure vitriol. They were laced with cyanide, cyanide that paralyzed Kel’s lungs, completely incapacitating him and his ability to speak, cry, scream, shout, apologize. He was agony at that moment. The epitome of raw agony. He wished he could just shrink onto himself and disappear completely. Let the void gnaw on his soul. What did he do wrong to deserve this?

 

“What the fuck do you know about how Mari felt? You were never there for her to begin with! I knew her better than anyone else, I actually loved her, in contrast to you, you pathetic waste. What did you do to help her? What the fuck did you fucking do to grieve? Nothing! Of course you did nothing, you fucking idiot. Just went about your day with that stupid, ugly smile of yours on your face! While I have been rotting for a whole year, Kel. My heart’s been rotting for a whole, fucking, year. What did you do to help me, huh? WHAT? EVERY DAY, ALL DAY, ANNOYING ME WITH YOUR BULLSHIT, KEL. THAT’S WHAT YOU DID. I wish you could just shut up, Kel, for once. Just shut the fuck up, never speak again. I-I... I just wish you could just die... You should have died instead of her...”

 

Something inside Kel died that day, and it died forever. There’s a cornice deep inside him which rots eternally and deep, deep hatred takes root. It spreads like a virus, and hurts like one as well. It bleeds him so much, like an animal at the slaughterhouse. It squeezes his innards and heart with the force of a thousand men. Why do his eyes sting so much?

 

 

Over the next days, Hero underwent a major metamorphosis. For the better, that is. He became Hero once again, sparkly and charismatic as always, save for a weakness in his legs and voice from a whole year of disuse. Hero became Hero once again, caring for his family and friends. Kel became something different. He didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t him. This wasn’t Kel. It killed Kel and took his place while he was sleeping. It was like an alien.

 

Kel can’t eat anymore, at least not as much as he used to do. Just barely enough to make it through the day. Some days, he can’t eat at all. When he is anxious, sad, or feels like punishing himself, his throat seals shut and aches like his heart at the slightest presence of food.

 

He vomits a lot. At home after dinner or lunch, at school before classes oor after confrontations with Aubrey. At completely random times, albeit rarely. He has become disgusted of himself.

 

He is slowly losing control of his body, and the knowledge of this hurts him more than any physical beating he has ever undergone. He has never experienced such a severe fluctuation on his weight and energy. Kel wished he didn’t have to eat at all, sometimes. He wished he could photosynthesize, like a plant. Cannibalize on himself.

 

“I don’t wanna eat, I’m not that hungry, I’m fine” Kel would say. The liar. The fool. The greatest trick Kel ever pulled on himself was convincing him that he wasn’t lying. The blacking out and the catatonic states he finds himself in during the day don’t lie though.

 

Most of the time, Kel avoids Hero. He can’t face his older brother after all the selfish things he did to him. Hell, he can’t even face him after the events of that horrible night, despite the fact that the venomous words of Hero opened his eyes. He is... afraid of him. Terrified of his older brother. He is afraid that he will drive him mad again, and who knows, maybe one day Hero would beat him to a bloody pulp. The worst thing is that it would be justified, because Kel is a mess. He is an unwanted, unlovable, irritating waste of oxygen and space that cares for nobody but himself.

 

 

“Hey, Kel!” Hero shouted energetically the moment he took notice of his brother entering the house. Next time, he shouldn’t make so much noise when coming back from school.

 

Kel was taken aback by Hero’s call. He froze completely at the corridor, like a deer in the headlights. What was going to happen? He didn’t do anything wrong again, right? He didn’t do anything wrong He didn’t do anything wrong He didn’t do anything wrong He didn’t do anything wrong He didn’t do anything wrong He didn’t do anything wrong He didn’t do anything wrong-

 

The moment he saw Hero’s towering figure approach him, he felt genuine fear overwhelm him. His mind went completely blank, and his skin became white like a ghost. He didn’t dare to look at Hero, afraid of what would ensue.

 

“H-Hey, Hero! How are ya?” he stuttered, trying to fake excitement in his voice and plaster a strong smile on his face.

 

“I’m very fine, today. I was waiting for you to come home! Oh, the things that happened today at my class, you won’t believe it!” Hero replied, still as happy as ever. Kel became even more afraid and anxious. He could feel the ants crawling under his skin again, tingling his nervous system.

 

“That’s g-great Hero!” Hero kept staring at him so intensely. Why didn’t he shift his gaze elsewhere?

 

“Why don’t you come inside, Kel? I made some lunch with Mama, one of your faves as well, some tamales!”  

 

“Umm...” Kel was reluctant for a second, trying to find a good reason to avoid lunch again. “I’m actually not that hungry, H-Hero!”

 

“... How come? You never say no to some tamales...” his heart has started beating so loudly, he thought it would explode all over the hall.

 

“...I actually ate s-some lunch from school, H-Hero! Don’t worry about it! Couldn’t say no to some good ol’ fashioned f-fish sticks, hehe...” his heart throbbed maniacally. His eyes started burning.

 

“... Kel...”

 

“... Y-Yes, Hero?”

 

“... Are you sure you are ok? Have I done something?”

 

God fuck. Not now, not in front of him. Kel has to run away. His voice now barely starts cracking.

 

“I’m fine Hero, I’m fine, I’m fine... Everything’s fine, don’t sweat it, I’m fine, see?” And Kel flashed an oh so blatantly fake smile to his brother. “Fine! You’ve done nothing wrong! Don’t even think about it!”

 

“...Are you sure?” Why the fuck is he persevering so much? Kel can’t hold it in much longer.

 

“YEAH, I’m great! I just really have to go to the bathroom, Henry! C-Can’t really trust the school bathrooms, y’k-know... I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”

 

“You don’t have to apologize, Kel-“

 

“Gotta go, sorry!” Kel said in a hurry and scurried up the stairs and into the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind him. Just then, he slumped down at the floor, with his back against the door.

 

Kel placed his hand on top of his mouth, suppressing any whimpers and sobs coming out of him, only letting heavy amounts of tears flow down. He must look really ugly now, eyes reddened, nose stuffy and hair messy. He deserves this pain, doesn’t he? He really does. He doesn’t deserve love, or food, or support. Because he is Kel. And Kel means selfish.

 

“I-I... I just wish you could just die... You should have died instead of her...” the phrase repeated inside his head like a broken record player.

 

Something fundamental had shattered inside Kel. He couldn’t really pinpoint it. He searched all over the complexion of his tan skin. He ripped himself apart to shreds, tore his intestines to literal pieces, let his lungs fall to the dirty floor of the Rodriguez’ household’s bathroom. He picked little parts off his liver and stomach and examined them carefully, as a doctor would. Carelessly tearing apart his esophagus and desperately clinging on the kidneys, squeezing his heart til it was nothing but a rotting, dead, black mass in his strong hands. He couldn’t find it, though. Maybe it was the bones, he thought, but that would take hours of searching and scrupulous examination.

 

 

Maybe it will stay shattered like that for a long time.

Notes:

If you made it to the end, congratulations and thank you for taking the time to read my work, even if it is not as good as I wanted it to.