William:
James, he didn't go to school that day; he was hiding until it was time to move. He closed the curtains and closed every door in the house... but two doors.
The entrance and his parents' room. He didn't use any trick to open the door of the bathroom inside this room. It wasn't closed, as you know... humans tend to expand their comfortable area outside their body when they are alone, safe, reckless, and free.
Then James stayed in his room, praying for his mother as if she were going into surgery.
This Doctor... hmm... lying... no, Faker.
Dr. Faker entered the house. He took about fifteen steps to enter the room and another two steps to be in front of the bathroom. He opened it, placed himself inside, and closed the door.
He opened the curtains. He found her facing the shower head. While looking at her back, he stripped out of his clothes. He touched her from her back to her neck; she leaned into the touch, laughing and saying, 'Honey.... you're back....'"
She turned to face him.... And she saw...
Chris: Oh God…
Tommy: Psst, Reader...
Chris closed her eyes and covered her face with her hand.....Lina crossed her arms, as if trying to brace herself together.....Ryan kept his eyes on the ground. Ron just stood there, confused...
Look, Reader, I don't know what they were thinking—but judging by the outside… I could only hope he would stutter.... Or just...
William: She turned around and....
they went to bed and….... hmm…..
A moment passed before he went out. And before he left the apartment, James ran to stop him, just to know how his mother was doing.
He said, "Don't worry. It will be just a couple of more intense treatments, and she will fully recover."
That day, his mother was awfully happy.
He didn't know why—but he was sure it was because of the treatment.....
Days passed. Then months—nine, to be exact.
James's mother broke down before the surgery.
Then she delivered the baby… and fell into depression.
Every time she saw the child, she couldn't breathe.
Once, she wanted to hurt him—but she couldn't.
She started referring to the baby as it.
It is crying.
It is hungry.
It is sleeping.
She couldn't live knowing she had given birth to this baby.
So she left our world, leaving a note behind.
Her last words:
I couldn't live with it… breathing as me....
Every time I look into its eyes, I remember that it is my child—and that alone is a sin.
It is so weak, so defenseless.
Every time I touch it, I could crush it if I'm not careful.
I once wanted to…
But then I thought—if I end its life with my hands, every time I look at my hands I will remember killing it.
And not only that—I will also remember that I gave it birth.
So the only way for me not to remember…
is cutting off the power to create more memory.
This was my cure....
Oblivion.
The family dismantled after that.
The father became absent-minded all the time.
And because of it…
he didn't see the truck while driving.
He left too.
Years passed.
James's little brother found the letter their mother left.
Not long after, he appeared before James—
the letter in his left hand,
a knife in his right.
He placed the knife near his neck and said:
"Animals are treated like this."
Then he ended his life.
And with that, James became soulless.
Watching his brother die.
Attending his family's funeral.
It broke him.
He wished the world would stop for just one minute—
so he could grieve.
Breathe.
But no matter what…
tomorrow was coming.
It was all his fault...
And the only thing he could remember from his childhood, are his action..... It was suffocating... No that wouldn't describe it.. Not even close.... It was.....
James tried to escape his thoughts, his body—
trying to escape.... Every thing...
But you can't escape
from your running legs.
Years passed.
You know the illusion already....
Rady,.....The Nine Kings events....
Before it happened, James met the leader of the Association—
the leader of the Nine Kings,
the one with the mysterious power of altering memories.
A mystery no one could explain.
No one knew how you could trick someone
into remembering something that never existed.
And here we are…
What do you think, Ron?
Ryan: What?!.... That's it....
Ron: Hah… hahahaha… pointless. I should've known.
William: What… did I explain it wrong or something?
Chris: I don't know what to feel. I shouldn't feel this disappointed… but I can't help it.
Ryan: You scared me. A little.
William:
Emma is nodding, and Lina too…will at least I could understand you.... Wait.....
Oh shit. I did it again. I know what the problem is. Sometimes, when I get excited or overwhelmed, I speak slower than normal—so I can hear my thoughts. It's like writing down what you want to say, but in your mind.
Sometimes I struggle to find the right words. I pause, say a word or two, just to find my rhythm. And sometimes I think what I want to say, but instead of saying it, I imagine that I already said it.
So that's what happened. It happens to the best of us.
Ryan: Not to me.
Tommy: Or me.
Chris: Me neither.
William:
Trust me, it happens at least once. Haven't you ever listened to music and, instead of singing the lyrics, you sing gibberish—because the words in your head are way faster than your mouth can follow?
Ron: I don't think so.
William:
Maybe it's just me.
Let me stand up first. I'm sick of sitting down… aaah… mheee… even though—ahh…
Stretching always hurts… heh. And I never feel relieved after it. Haah… even if it's pointless, I can't stop stretching. It became something I do unconsciously.
Wow, look at that view. I always wondered how they built a tower and made the outside fully glass. When I was a kid, I thought the glass was what held the tower together. And if so… shouldn't they replace it with something stronger than glass?
I was such an idiot…
Ouch.
This ain't normal glass. It hurt.
Ron: What are you doing…
William: Ron… is this a real gun?
Click—clack.
Chk…
Chk…
Ryan: OH, WILLIAM—WATCH—
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
Chris: Shit…
Clik—clak—clak!
Shhk—chhk!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
Click—clack!
Chk—chk—CHK!
Tommy: What the fuck, Ron?!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
KRAK!
Shhkk—clak!
Clik…
Lina: ÇA SUFFIT!!!
KRAK…
CRRRRKK—
TSSSSS—
KRSH—KRSH—KRSH—
tink… tink… tink…
krrrrr...
William: I'm hit. It hurts so much…
You emptied three—what are they called—clips? magazines?
And we pissed ourselves… just so you could miss every single shot.
What were you aiming at, my soul?
My dignity is already on the ground—so don't miss it next time.
Ron: I proved the gun is real.
William: Nah. You proved that you suck, my boy.
Ron: All I need is this… one bullet.
Click—clack.
And you're done. Wanna try?
William: No thanks. I don't want my ego to get hurt.
Ron: Well… so is your pointless story over?
William: Not quite.
Oh—what do we have here? Look at what you did to the glass.
It's full of these white, spider‑web fractures.
Do you know, Ron… if you find the pressure point,
even a single punch can break all of this.
Let's see…
Here? No…
Here?
There…
Here…
Ron: Well, that didn't do anything.
William: I don't know how it works…
but I'll keep punching—
Ouch… it hurts…....
Open sesame.
…Refreshing.
Ron: Impressive. Still pointless.
William: To you.
To me—I crossed one wish off my bucket list.
Wow… don't get too close or you'll fall.
Ron: Are you worried about me?
William: It would be pointless without you.
Ron: What would?
William: The story.
Ron: Can you just get it over with?
William: Why are you in such a hurry?
We've got all the time in the world, James.
Ron: Fine. Just get it over—
William: Just let me—
ahem
YOU STILL WATCHING, YOU COWARD?!
Ron: MY EAR—God!
Why did you suddenly shout?!
Who are you talking to?!
William: No one.
I just needed to get it out of my system.