Too Much Pain Dete
The shelter was too quiet.
No doors slammed. No shouting. No murmured laughter. Just the hum of broken heaters and the occasional flickering bulb that sounded like it might give up at any moment—like her.
Lina stood at the entrance, frozen. Part of her didn't want to go in.
After the stage… the lights… the strange validation that had tasted almost like power…
This place reminded her who she really was.
Or who she used to be.
Someone unclaimed. Discarded. Forgotten.
[System Notification: Environment Shift Detected. Mood Risk: High.]
[Auto-calibrating Emotional Regulation Mode...]
AI Voice Activated. Soft Tone Engaged.
> "Lina. Breathe."
She exhaled through her nose.
"I know," she whispered. "I know it's different now. I know I'm not the same. But… I still feel like her."
[You're allowed to. Progress isn't about pretending. It's about enduring.]
She gave a weak smile.
"That was poetic for an AI."
[I read poetry when you sleep.]
"…Weirdly comforting."
---
She passed the hallway to her room.
Then stopped.
Someone was crying.
A muffled, soft sound—like trying to hide it with a pillow. Like someone who didn't want to burden the world.
She knew that sound.
She was that sound.
Lina took a hesitant step closer and paused by the open door of the utility closet. Someone was sitting inside—knees to chest, hoodie over their face, sobbing quietly.
A girl. Maybe sixteen.
Alone.
Just like she had been at that age.
And for a moment, she was there again—back in the past.
---
She was fifteen.
Rain pounded against the rooftop where she'd hidden with a stolen blanket. Her body was freezing. Her stomach growled. And her heart was so hollow it echoed.
Her only friend—her childhood best friend—had just told her they couldn't speak anymore.
That the rich family who adopted her didn't want Lina "following her around like a stray."
She had smiled. Lied. Said, "It's fine. I understand."
And the girl had walked away without even looking back.
She hadn't stopped crying for two days.
No one came.
No one ever came.
---
The utility closet came back into view.
The girl inside finally noticed her.
She tried to wipe her face and scowl. "What—what do you want?"
Lina knelt down slowly. "I'm not here to fix you. I just… wanted you to know someone hears you."
The girl sniffled. "Don't pretend like you care."
Lina smiled gently. "I don't have to pretend."
They stared at each other in silence.
Then the girl whispered, "You're that pretty girl from the video, right? The one who looked like she wanted to die on stage but still looked like an angel."
Lina blinked. "That's… oddly specific."
"You looked like me," she mumbled. "Just… prettier."
"…I used to cry in closets too," Lina said softly. "And I'm still scared every time I do something brave. But I'm learning that not every ending is the same."
The girl didn't answer.
But she didn't chase her away either.
---
[System Task: Reflective Impact]
Objective: Comfort a reflection of your past without dismissing your own pain.
Reward: Empathy +2 | Emotional Maturity +1 | Hidden Trait Progression: "Resilient Heart"]
No penalty for failure. This one's just for you.
Lina felt her throat tighten.
"I used to think being strong meant not feeling anything," she said quietly. "But maybe strength is just… staying when it hurts. Being kind even when no one was kind to you."
The girl looked up, tears drying.
"…You really were like me, huh?"
"Still am," Lina said.
Then she smiled.
"Wanna come get a snack before curfew?"
"…Only if you buy."
"I'm broke."
The girl snorted. "Figures."
But she stood up anyway.
And for the first time that night, neither of them felt alone.
---
Later That Night
Lina curled into her bed with her blanket wrapped around her head like armor.
"System," she whispered, "what if I never fully heal?"
[Then I will stay beside you. Until the end.]
"…What if the world finds out I'm still scared?"
[Then they'll see the truth. And you'll still rise.]
She smiled faintly. "You're a good liar."
[No. You're just finally starting to believe in yourself.]
---
Elsewhere
Kael Marlowe reviewed the analytics.
Lina Vale's photo had reached 32 million impressions.
Three global agencies had inquired.
A director requested her for a silent feature.
And one very dangerous man sent a message:
> "Who's the girl?"
Kael replied with a single sentence.
> "Mine. Forget she exists."
He tossed the phone down and stared at the rain outside his penthouse.
"She's already making waves," he murmured.
Then, barely audible—
"I hope she survives this."
---
System Log: Lina Vale
Emotional Development: Stable
Empathy: +2
"Resilient Heart" Trait: [46% Unlocked]
Support AI Bond: Deepened ("Protective Link" → "Sentient Thread")
Public Interest: Increasing
Network Reach: Tier 3
Hidden World Awareness: Scheduled Unlock – Chapter 10
---
End of Chapter 8
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