It was a morning like any other, or perhaps even better.
The wind blew through the trees, producing a pleasant rustling sound. The sun caressed nature and people with its warm rays as they worked, joked, and enjoyed themselves.
These characteristics may seem common and obvious, but apparently not to everyone.
That boy was always lying on the same rock. He had black hair and light amber eyes, but they were so dull that they could not be described as "light." His gaze was lost, as if he were searching for a light within the darkness that occupied his mind.
Time passed, but the boy remained there, in the same position and with the same look.
***
Evening came, and his eyes, which had remained open until then, began to close slowly, succumbing to sleep.
Just then, however, Kael heard footsteps and immediately knew who they belonged to.
They belonged to a girl who was charming yet simple, a natural beauty.
"KAEEEEEEL! STOP LAZING AROUND, COME AND HAVE DINNER NOW!" said Ruri.
"Okay, Ruri, don't get mad," Kael replied in a hoarse voice. In a provocative tone, he added, "You're younger than me, you have to respect me."
Ruri was visibly annoyed by the comment, but she didn't let him get the better of her and pretended nothing had happened, adding, "So, was it a good day?"
This comment was not accidental. Ruri knew that her brother rarely used provocative phrases.
"Nice, huh? I think it was normal," he said, looking at the stars with his usual static expression.
"So? Shall we go eat?" she added.
"Sure," replied Ruri, with a sweet look.
They started walking and entered the house.
It was an old and rather dilapidated house. The door was unsafe and creaked, the walls were damaged, with cracks in some places.
Despite his detached nature, Kael was ashamed of being so useless every time he entered the house. Although it was his duty to provide for Ruri, the situation he found himself in, was the exact opposite.
He wanted his sister to be happy, to be well. For this very reason, he pretended nothing was wrong.
They sat down at the table and ate.
After dinner, Kael got up from his chair. "Thanks for dinner," he added, before leaving for his room.
Once in his room, Kael lay down on the bed and began to think.
As every day, the past tormented him, preventing him from sleeping. For this reason, shortly after lying down, he got up, left the room, and, trying to make as little noise as possible, went back to lie down on the rock outside the house.
Strangely, there, Kael managed to fall asleep.
"---Stop, don't hurt me. Please go away." These were the words Kael was saying in his sleep.
Time passed, and the words continued to come out of his mouth, one after another without interruption, until Kael woke up sweaty, worried, and more tired than before.
He bent over slightly, gasping for breath, his chest heaving as he tried to fill his lungs with air.
"This world is so unfair," he said, as soon as he recovered.
"People die without wanting to, forced by poverty or the inability to perceive the flow of magic. I, on the other hand, who have wanted this since I was a child, cannot do it... and I don't even know why."
Then he looked down, murmuring sadly, "How absurd."
After recovering, Kael decided he didn't want to sleep anymore and set off to gather some fruit to eat with Ruri in the morning.
The path led him to a small forest in front of the house: darkness penetrated the twisted branches, and the air was thick, humid, and full of unfamiliar smells. The tall, gnarled trees bent slightly as if to observe those who dared to enter. Dry leaves crunched under the weight of the wind, and every rustle, every crackle seemed amplified, threatening. The mysterious sounds of nocturnal wildlife echoed everywhere, indistinct and disturbing.
"Found it!" Kael shouted as soon as he reached his destination.
He began to gather the fruit, but something was wrong: the noises, which had been faint at first, were now closer and louder, as if the forest itself were holding its breath, ready to launch an attack. It didn't take long to realize that something was approaching.
It was too late to run away. Kael held his breath and froze, his heart pounding as he tried not to make a sound.
"Haaa... Haaaa..." Kael was tired after holding his breath for so long.
'What... what just happened? Better go back. Right now.' he said to himself, after catching his breath.
He set off again toward home, but this time he was no longer calm. Each step seemed to amplify his anxiety, fear, and stress—all feelings that grew inside him like a black wave ready to overwhelm him.
He reached the edge of the forest: the moonlight pierced the darkness, guiding him toward the road. But just before he crossed the forest boundary, he felt a sudden chill in his chest and fell to the ground.
He had been stabbed. By someone... or something.
He didn't stop. Kael didn't feel pain as an ordinary man would: he was used to much worse.
He got up almost immediately, gritting his teeth, and started running home. The adrenaline was too much to let him fall to his knees. He had to run. He had to get to his sister.
"Faster... faster... faster!"
Blood ran down his body, staining his clothes and skin, but it didn't matter. All he could see was the outline of the house in front of him, its door wide open like a sinister invitation.
As soon as he crossed the threshold, his heart sank into his stomach.
The house was silent. Too silent. But it wasn't empty.
A presence revealed itself in the center of the room: a short, thin woman, her purple hair glistening in the moonlight, like silk steeped in poison.
"Hey, you." Kael's voice turned icy, his eyes flashing with a fury that alone could kill. "Where's my sister?"
"Who are you?" asked the woman. "The landlord?"
"I ASKED YOU WHO YOU ARE!" exclaimed Kael, his tone threatening. Then, without hesitation, he lunged at her with a knife, ready for anything.
"Clash!"
The woman had countered the knife without moving a single step, then...
"Bang!"
"Crash!"
Kael fell to the ground after a single punch, without even using magic.
"Blrggh... Blrgghhh..." The blow was so powerful that it fractured one of his ribs, causing him to vomit blood.
Then the woman, calm as if nothing had happened, approached him:
"You'll probably pass out soon, but at least I have some time to talk."
For her, it wasn't a fight: it had just been a game. Kael understood this immediately and, on the verge of losing consciousness, simply listened to her.
"I came here because I sensed a concentration of magic coming from this house. It was very dangerous. However, I am certain of one thing: there was no one here when I arrived."
She wasn't lying. Her eyes were sincere as never before, and she had no reason to deceive him. With her strength, she could have destroyed him... but she didn't.
"Can you tell me who was here?" she added, with icy calm.
Despite the pain, Kael felt ashamed. Not for being defeated—after all, he had never practiced magic—but for failing to protect her, for failing to save his sister.
And above all, for that feeling he hated most: his own apathy. Even now, he felt almost nothing compared to what he should have felt.
"I'm a monster, Ruri."
That was the truth that tormented him, even as the pain overwhelmed him.
"My... sister..." Kael gasped, doubled over in pain, as the darkness of unconsciousness enveloped him.