That morning, the sun peeked shyly through the curtain.
The sky over Virelia looked pale, as if it, too, was reluctant to fully wake.
I stood in front of the mirror, dressed in my school uniform.
Before leaving, I turned to glance at Ches, who was sitting on the living room floor with Ashen, the black cat that loyally followed him everywhere.
They looked like two shadows left behind by the night.
"Ches, I'm heading to school now!" I called out as I slipped on my shoes.
"Don't go wandering off, and don't do anything weird or dangerous, okay?"
Ches didn't respond.
Then, in a curt voice, he muttered without looking at me,
"You don't need to care."
I gave a small smile, trying to keep things light.
"Hey! I'm just worried about you, you know? Hehe… I'm basically the perfect overprotective big sister now, huh?"
He turned to me, his face contorting like he'd just seen something disgusting.
I chuckled at his expression.
"Hey! Don't look at me like that!"
Waving from the doorway, I called out,
"Alright, I'm off! Try not to miss me~"
He didn't reply. But Ashen gave a soft meow, almost like he was telling me to hurry up and go.
And so, I stepped out—leaving the two of them in the cold, unfamiliar silence of the apartment.
But not long after I disappeared down the hallway, Ches stood up.
As if everything I had just said was no more than meaningless noise, not worth remembering.
With quiet steps and an expressionless face, he opened the door and walked out.
No destination. No direction.
Just feet that kept moving… farther and farther from the apartment building, away from anything that might resemble home.
He passed a still lake, an empty playground, and busy city streets that all felt foreign to him.
His face was blank.
His eyes didn't seem to reflect anything around him.
As if every color had drained from his vision, and this world had nothing left to offer.
Time passed.
The sky began to dim.
By three o'clock in the afternoon, he found himself back near the old playground not far from the apartment.
There, the evening breeze swayed the chains of the rusty swings, producing a soft, almost mournful creak.
A boy was sitting on one of the swings.
Small.
About the same age as Ches's current form.
His head was bowed, bruises marked his cheeks, and cuts lined his arms.
There was a story hiding behind that silence—one he didn't want to tell.
Ches froze.
He stood a few meters away, eyes fixed on the boy—his gaze slowly shifting.
Something stirred within him.
A memory?
Or maybe an old wound, starting to ache again?
His hands curled into fists.
Then, in a low whisper barely audible, he muttered,
"…Weak."
Just one word.
But inside it—
was anger, pain, and the echo of a past that had never truly healed.
Ches had considered walking away.
But somehow, his feet moved forward instead—
as if something was calling him.
A voice from within.
Or perhaps, an echo from a past that never quite ended.
He stopped right in front of the boy.
The boy slowly lifted his head, his eyes filled with fear and wounds that hadn't yet healed.
"H-hi…" he whispered, voice as faint as falling leaves.
"...Are you going to hit me too?"
Ches frowned. His face stayed cold.
"Why would I do that? There's no point."
Without another word, he sat on the swing beside him.
The old chains creaked softly, filling the silence that suddenly felt too heavy.
It was an awkward quiet—too quiet for children their age.
A few seconds passed before that soft voice spoke again.
"Um… hi. My name's Silan."
Ches glanced at him. A flicker of memory surfaced in his mind.
Ah… the neighbor's kid.
But he didn't respond. His silence hung in the air like lead.
Moments later, almost unwillingly, Ches finally spoke.
"My name's Ches."
Silan turned to him, his eyes brightening just a little.
"Oh! You're… the little brother of the girl in apartment 208, right?"
"Yeah." His answer was flat, almost emotionless.
Silan gave a faint smile. "Didn't think we'd run into each other here…"
Ches looked at him—sharp-eyed, but not entirely unkind.
"Someone hit you, didn't they?"
The question lingered in the air like a blade yet to fall.
Silan lowered his gaze. His body tensed.
"I… I'm scared to go home," he whispered.
"If my parents see me like this… they'll be so upset…"
His voice cracked.
Tears started slipping down from the corners of his swollen, bruised eyes.
Ches looked away.
Something stirred in him—regret, maybe?
But before the silence could settle again, three looming figures approached.
Their footsteps were loud—impatient and menacing.
"Well, well… Silan made a new friend~" sneered the first boy—Derek.
The second—Milo—chimed in,
"Nice. We should definitely say hi, don't you think?"
Silan shot up, trembling.
"H-he's not my friend!" he blurted out, voice shaking.
The third—Rafe—laughed and grabbed Silan by the collar.
"Aww, look at you lying like that. Cute."
Their eyes were filled with mockery.
"Still not satisfied with our little 'love taps', Silan?"
Milo shoved his shoulder.
Silan started crying, his voice choked in panic.
"P-please… stop…"
"Go ahead, tell your parents," Derek sneered.
"We'll make sure it's worse next time."
Their laughter tore through the air.
But it didn't last.
A hand stopped Rafe before he could touch Silan again.
Ches stood.
Silent.
His gaze was ice—but beneath it, something burned.
"Ohhh~ so the new kid wants to be a hero now?" Derek mocked.
"Hey, little guy… acting all tough? You'll be begging for mercy in a minute."
But they didn't even get the chance.
Ches swung his fist.
It landed squarely in Derek's face, sending him crashing to the ground.
"What the—?!"
Rafe lunged at Ches—
only to be struck in the side of the head and thrown off balance before collapsing, unconscious.
Milo tried to rush him—
but Ches met him with a brutal punch to the jaw.
The sounds of impact, bodies hitting the ground, and labored breathing filled the air.
Ches pinned one of them down and began punching—again and again.
Blood stained the grass.
Silan screamed.
"Ches!! Stop!! They can't fight back anymore!!"
Ches didn't respond.
His breathing was ragged, his eyes still burning with fury.
But his hand stopped—just for a moment.
Then, without warning, he turned to another and kept going.
Silan covered his face, crying.
And then—
"CHESSS!!"
Raeya came running.
Her breath caught, her wide eyes full of horror.
She grabbed Ches's arm with all her strength.
"Stop it, Ches! What are you doing?!"
Ches looked at her.
For a moment, nothing but raw rage filled his eyes—wild, dark, and nearly turned on her.
Raeya froze.
But the punch never came.
Ches held himself back.
Slowly, his hand dropped to his side.
Three boys lay unconscious.
Silan was sobbing.
Raeya was trembling.
And Ches…
Ches stood at the center of it all like a stranger.
He said nothing.
Showed no remorse.
As if the chaos…
was merely a shadow of something far darker within.