After spending some time with Jin, who was still in a coma, I made my way home on foot. Aizawa had offered me a taxi, but I just wanted to walk, to clear my head. The whole way back, an uneasy feeling gnawed at me—a sense that I’d made a terrible mistake signing those papers. Maybe I should have tried harder to find another way… But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t see any other option to save Jin. I had to accept it—at least this seemed like the best solution for everyone.

  Lost in thought, I didn’t even realize I’d arrived home until I was standing at the front door. I hesitated, gathering my courage to face my little sister, who still didn’t know a thing. I stepped inside, kicked off my shoes, and made my way down the hall, ready to face Ariel… but then I noticed a pair of men’s shoes at the entrance. At first, I thought they might be Jin’s, but I quickly realized they were smaller and far too fancy for his usual disheveled style.

  “Oh no… Ariel!”

  Alarm shot through me. Was Ariel in trouble? I dashed toward the living room, ready to protect her at any cost. But when I threw open the door, my blood ran cold. The man sitting before me dredged up every horrible memory I’d buried. He was short, dressed in a luxurious, deep purple kimono embroidered with gold, topped with an elaborate black hat. His gray hair hung long and thin around his face, which was lined and gaunt, but his piercing reddish eyes shone like those of a lion.

  I froze, unable to move, and the only word that slipped from my lips was, “Grandfather,” though I had no real reason to call him that.

  “I see you’ve grown, Ryu. You look a lot like your father did in his younger days,” the man rasped as he gently patted Ariel’s head. She had fallen asleep, her head resting on the lap of that damned old man.

  I wanted to say something to this person responsible for so much of our suffering. I wanted to shout, insult him, even strike him—but his gaze filled me with such anxiety and dread that I stood there, silent and unmoving.

  “Tsk! You’re spineless, just like that idiot father of yours,” he sneered, spitting arrogantly on the carpet to drive his disdain deeper.

  I could put up with a lot, but I wouldn’t let him talk about my father like that. I struggled to find something, anything, that would cut him down, but my fear of him was stronger than the fury boiling inside me. And, like a coward, I looked away.

  “Not going to say anything, huh? Hmph, didn’t expect much from someone like you.” With that, he gave Ariel a light tap on the cheek, rousing her from sleep. For a moment, I had almost forgotten I needed to talk to her—thanks to his wretched presence.

  Once again, I was paralyzed, watching as my little sister came back to consciousness. As she stirred, I noticed her face was slightly puffy, her eyes red and swollen. I realized immediately that she’d been crying—her eyes were still damp, her gaze sad. In that instant, my anger surged to a level I’d never felt before, erasing all traces of fear. I took a step toward the old man and, without hesitation, grabbed his kimono collar, pulling with all my strength.

  “Yoshiro! What did you do to my sister—ARGH!”

  Before I could let out my rage, something hit me in the stomach—a punch? A kick? I couldn’t tell; it happened too fast. The pain was so intense I collapsed, gasping and groaning, barely able to breathe.

  “Even your father never dared call me by name, yet a wretch like you… At least you have some guts,” the old bastard muttered as he adjusted his kimono. “I didn’t do anything to your sister. If anything, the reason she’s crying is you. How could you sell your own sister for a bit of money?” he added, smiling a cold, sadistic smile.

  I froze, struggling to comprehend his words.

  “Don’t play dumb,” he scoffed. “I told her everything, how you and Jin decided to sell her off to us just to make a quick buck. Tsk-Tsk! Your father would be so disappointed.”

  “W-Wait… Ariel! I didn’t sell you to anyone! All I did was sign a form for your schooling—”

  “That’s not what this document says, boy. Don’t lie to your sister,” he cut me off, making my frustration and fury climb even higher.

  Then the old bastard pulled out a document—one I’d never seen before. I stared, baffled; it was a permanent guardianship form. I scanned it, and at the bottom, saw my signature.

  “That… that has to be a fake…” I muttered, forcing a shaky smile as I looked at the signature. But the more I stared, the more it looked like my own writing, and any last shred of certainty crumbled.

  Despite the blinding pain, I forced myself to stand and snatched the document. I read it over and over—I was sure I’d never signed anything like this. After a moment, the truth dawned on me.

  “You tricked me!” I shouted, furious, clutching the document with trembling hands. All those doubts I’d had at the hospital—they weren’t just in my head!

  There was only one thing I could do now—make Ariel understand I wasn’t behind any of this! I rushed to her, gripping her shoulders desperately.

  “Ariel, believe me, I didn’t sell you! This is all one big misunderstanding—Doctor Aizawa and this bastard—”

  But as I looked into her eyes, I could see they were cold and distant, hurt and disappointed. For the first time in our lives, she no longer trusted me. The realization choked me, and I let go of her shoulders, feeling the last of my strength drain away.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Come on, Ariel. Let’s go. I’m your family now. Don’t keep me waiting.” With one last sneer, Yoshiro turned toward the door. He had won, and I couldn’t do anything.

  “If you want, keep that document. Do what you like with it—it’s just a copy anyway. As for your money, you’ll get it soon. Very soon.”

  “M-Money? That wasn’t the deal!” I shouted, struggling to my feet, despite the stomach pain that only seemed to grow.

  The old man paused at the doorway without looking back.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  With those simple words, he shattered whatever fight was left in me. I didn’t see his face, but I knew from the mocking tone of his voice that he was laughing at my desperation. Then, with a final step, he disappeared.

  I stood still, motionless. Not only had I been tricked into signing a document that handed Ariel over to the Ozaki, but I hadn’t even received the plant that had been promised to me—the very plant that could’ve saved Jin’s life! In that moment, I began to wonder if that plant had ever existed at all. Maybe it had all been a plan from the very beginning... A thousand thoughts rushed through my mind, each one blaming me for everything that was happening. But those thoughts ceased the moment I saw Ariel pass in front of me, quietly heading toward the apartment door. In that moment, the only thing I didn’t want was to be alone, and I would do anything to keep my sister by my side… anything.

  But before I could grab her arm and stop her from walking down a difficult, unforgiving path, something happened. Something that shook me to my core:

  “I hope I never see you again, traitor.”

  Suddenly, I heard a voice—a voice I hadn’t heard in years. It was Ariel’s voice, finally speaking out. But in that moment, she opened her mouth to wound me even deeper, as though everything I was going through wasn’t enough. Worse still, she didn’t even look me in the eyes as she spoke with a trembling voice full of hatred and anger. Perhaps it was for the best, because I’m sure if she had looked at me, it would’ve shattered me even more, though I couldn’t think that way at the time.

  In my desperate state, I tried to say something, but my cowardice and guilt held me back. As she walked out without another word, I began to destroy everything in the room, screaming and raging like a beast without control, blaming the world for everything that had happened and was happening in my life, even though the gods had nothing to do with any of it.

  After my outburst, a deep sadness overwhelmed me, and I began to cry—crying until there was nothing left to shed, leaving my eyes red and itchy, uncomfortable in their rawness.

  Then came madness. I started banging my head against the floor, causing deep cuts on the back of my neck. Not satisfied, I began to scratch my arms fiercely, tearing into my flesh, leaving bits of skin and fat under my nails. It must have hurt, in fact, I’m sure it hurt like hell, but in that moment, it felt like all my feelings—joy, anger, pain—were slowly fading away.

  Finally, like a puppet with no strings, I collapsed to the floor. At that moment, I felt nothing. Nothing at all. I had become a heap of flesh with no soul. The only thing tethering me to life was a faint hunger, though I could barely even bring myself to drink a glass of water.

  A couple of days later, someone came to my house, dropping a 24-hour bag in the living room where I lay. They didn’t even glance at me. After placing the briefcase on the floor, they left in a hurry. Probably money, but at that point, I couldn’t care less.

  That same day, I received several calls, none of which I answered. Only in the evening I checked my voicemail. It was from a woman at the hospital: Jin had died the day I left, and they needed someone to identify the body since they had no contact information for him.

  When I heard the voicemail, memories of Jin and Ariel flooded my mind. But I felt neither joy nor sorrow. It was as though my life with them played out in front of my eyes like a movie, but at the same time, it felt detached, as though those memories didn’t belong to me. That was, until Aizawa and Yoshiro crossed my mind. At that moment, I recalled how I’d been fooled by those two demons, how their schemes had led to the rift between me and Ariel, and I began to wonder if they were the ones responsible for Jin’s death—just to make us suffer even more.

  And it was when I thought of those "dark" memories that a violent surge of rage took over me. I stood up, rushed to the kitchen, grabbed the sharpest knife I could find, and without hesitation, headed to the hospital with one goal: to kill Aizawa.

  I threw on a hoodie, pulling the hood over my head, and made my way to the hospital to carry out my plan. Though I appeared calm on the outside, inside, I was ready to kill that bastard. Afterward, I was prepared to end my own life.

  When I arrived at the hospital, the shocked stares of the staff made it clear they noticed my disheveled and unstable appearance. Some tried to stop me, but I didn’t waste time. I headed straight for the morgue, searching through the cold storage for Jin’s body. When I found him, I stared at him for several seconds. He seemed to have died peacefully, his face so relaxed. In my madness, I thought his death was a coward’s way of escaping his duty.

  I left that cold, lifeless place and slowly made my way toward Aizawa’s office. Some doctors and nurses tried to stop me, their faces horrified by the stench I carried and the vacant look in my eyes, but I ignored them. In my mind, I had only one mission.

  "Aizawa..."

  Finally, I reached his office and, without hesitation, burst through the door, ready to plunge the knife into his chest, releasing all the frustration I felt. But when I opened the door, the office was empty. It was as though Aizawa had vanished. I knew something was wrong—there was strange dust and a musty smell, like an old basement.

  "Hey, what are you doing here?" a hospital guard suddenly yelled, probably alerted to my presence.

  “Dr. Aizawa… where is he?” I asked, my voice hoarse and desperate.

  “Dr. Aizawa? Who the hell is that? Get out of here before I have to use force!”

  I didn’t understand what was going on. Aizawa *was* here! He was the director of the hospital! How could this guard not know him?!

  "...You asked for it, kid!"

  The guard advanced toward me, trying to grab me and throw me out. In that moment, sensing the danger, I pulled out the knife and, in a panic, began swinging it wildly. The weak calm I had shown shattered, unleashing all the rage and madness inside me.

  “Stay fucking away from me! Where the hell is Aizawa?!” I yelled, furious and confused. I was sure the doctors were covering for him. I was *certain* of it! Yet when I looked into their terrified eyes, I saw no deceit.

  "You're looking for... Dr. Aizawa?" an elderly woman asked, cautiously approaching me.

  “Yes! Where is he… WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?!”

  The woman looked at the empty office for a few moments, then sighed deeply. “There was a Dr. Aizawa here some time ago, but he’s been dead for over 15 years. This was his office, and since then...”

  Before she could finish her sentence, I fled, leaving the knife behind. I ran for several minutes until I arrived home, collapsing onto the dirty floor where I had spent the past weeks, curling up in a ball and scratching my head until it bled.

  "It has to be a bad dream... yes, it must be..." I muttered desperately, as though possessed by a demon. I tried to convince myself that everything I had gone through was just a figment of my imagination, that if I closed my eyes, everything would go back to normal. But the more I looked around, the more I realized that what I was living was the worst kind of reality.

  "...I want to die," I said resignedly, stopping my frantic movements and curling up tighter. This experience had scarred me forever, and I no longer saw a future for myself.