chapter 29: breaking beneath the pride
ren paced inside the small room maya offered him. the walls felt like they were closing in, mirroring the chaos inside his mind. the memories, or lack of them, gnawed at his thoughts like ravenous beasts. each attempt to recall the night he was attacked twisted into frustration, anger, and something darker — self-doubt.
"why can't i remember?" he muttered, voice cracking with the weight of his own pride. "how am i supposed to be strong if i'm broken inside?"
his hands trembled, fists clenched tight enough to draw blood. the shattered self inside him clawed at the surface, threatening to spill out. pride kept him standing, but beneath that armor, he felt vulnerable — afraid.
he sank to the floor, head in his hands, wrestling with the emptiness inside. every whisper of a memory was a stab of pain, a reminder of what he lost. he hated feeling weak, hated that the mystery of his past was a shadow he couldn't catch.
maya's soft footsteps broke through his storm. she crouched beside him, voice gentle but firm. "ren, it's okay to struggle. even the strongest fall sometimes."
he looked up, eyes burning. "i don't want to fall. i can't."
"you don't have to be perfect," she said. "you just have to keep going."
ren swallowed hard, pride warring with the flicker of hope her words sparked. the battle inside him was far from over, but for the first time, he considered that maybe, just maybe, he didn't have to face it alone.
the road ahead was uncertain, the pieces of his past still lost in the shadows. but deep down, something was shifting — a fragile strength born not from remembering, but from accepting that even broken pride can rise again.