I, Ryner Alostrio, am about to die.
Once, I was a genius. A boy whose mind could unravel truths that no one else could even see. Once, I was proud, untouchable, admired… and feared. But that was before. Before the poison seeped into my core, before my talents turned against me, before my life became a nightmare.
Now… I am nothing. Just a shadow of the boy I used to be. They call me the "trash kid." My name, once spoken with respect, is now whispered in mockery. And yet, the worst part… the unbearable part… is that this end is brought to me by my own family.
My mother, Alia… she was poisoned first. Her life taken in an instant. I remember her eyes, wide with disbelief, a silent scream frozen on her lips. I wanted to reach her, to save her, but I was too weak, too cursed, too… powerless.
My father, Hannas… he did nothing. He watched me suffer, watched my mother fall, and turned his gaze elsewhere, as if my agony were merely a minor inconvenience. And worse, the true architects of my misery—Hannas's third wife and her sons—they revel in my pain. They smile when I fail, mock me when I stumble, and take pleasure in reminding me that I am nothing in this world.
Why me? Why does suffering always find me? Why am I the one who bears every burden, every insult, every cruelty?
Maybe… if I had been selfish, if I had been stronger… if I had taken what I wanted without hesitation… maybe I could have survived. Maybe I could have turned this fate around.
But it is too late.
The poison spreads through my veins like fire and ice. My limbs feel heavy, my vision blurs, my heart aches as though it carries the weight of the world. I collapse onto the ground of this desolate place, the so-called Valley of Sins. A place that mirrors my life—barren, broken, filled with the echoes of despair.
I close my eyes, surrendering to the darkness that calls me. My thoughts scatter, fragments of my life flashing like dying embers. The few moments of happiness, the rare victories, the warmth of my mother's hand, even the fleeting acknowledgment from my father… they vanish, leaving only pain.
Why always me? Why this suffering? Why now?
he gasp once, twice… his breaths shallow, ragged. His body trembles. His mind reels. And then… silence.
HE DIED…
---
The air is still in the Valley of Sins. The ground is cold beneath him, a gray fog curling around the fallen boy. His body lies broken, as if the world itself has forgotten him. And yet, in that silence, a faint, almost imperceptible stir…
Ryner opens his eyes.
He sees…