?Micheal wasn't sure what to expect at the start of his training, but he definitely hadn’t expected to be jolted awake by ice-cold water at the crack of dawn.

  ?

  ?He gasped, sputtering as he shot up, shivering violently. Sleep was a distant memory now. Jasmine stood beside his bed, empty bucket in hand, lips twitching as she fought the urge to smile.

  ?

  ?"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?" he managed to choke out between shivers.

  ?

  ?Jasmine shrugged. "Aki told me to wake you up. I tried, but you wouldn’t budge, so I had to resort to drastic measures."

  ?

  ?Despite her neutral tone, Micheal could hear the amusement laced in her voice. She was enjoying this.

  ?

  ?"You could have just shaken me awake, y'know?"

  ?

  ?"And get my hands dirty? Do you have any idea how long I spent scrubbing your filthy, sweaty clothes clean?"

  ?

  ?Micheal hesitated, suddenly embarrassed. "W-Well..."

  ?

  ?"You don’t really have to do that," he muttered, avoiding her gaze.

  ?

  ?"Oh, trust me, I don’t want to. But if I don’t, Aki will. And he has enough on his plate without dealing with your mess."

  ?

  ?"You talk like I want to be a burden," he shot back, crossing his arms. "What’s he to you, anyway?"

  ?

  ?Jasmine’s teasing demeanor faded. "He’s my brother. My older brother."

  ?

  ?Micheal frowned, eyeing her critically. Aki’s jet-black hair and cold, piercing gaze were a stark contrast to Jasmine’s warm brown eyes and tanned skin. "You sure about that? You two don’t look alike."

  ?

  ?Her expression darkened slightly. "We’re not blood-related. His parents... rescued me."

  ?

  ?"Rescued?"

  ?

  ?She took a deep breath. "From the 11th Cursed Blood Massacre. Fourteen years ago. I was five. They started rounding up and executing everyone without cursed blood in our district. My parents didn’t make it. His parents saved me."

  ?

  ?Micheal stiffened. A slow, creeping disgust curled in his stomach. His face betrayed it before he could suppress it. She’s one of them.

  ?

  ?The memories surged forward like a flood. The village bell ringing as the raid began. The shouts outside their door, growing louder. The gunshot. The sound of a body hitting the floor. Mrs. Valery’s lifeless stare. The screams. The gunfire. Jenny’s trembling arms around him as she tried to comfort him. “It’s okay, baby. It’s just fireworks.” The lie. The terror. Alisa’s bloodied hands, a deep wound in her chest as she stumbled into the room. Her shaking fingers cupping his face, her love and regret unspoken but painfully clear. Blood soaked her dress, spreading from the deep wound in her chest. Yet she didn’t cry out. She didn’t scream. She just… looked at him.

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  ?

  ?Micheal would never forget that look. The warmth in her eyes, the silent love she poured into him in that single moment. The regret. The sorrow of a woman who knew she wouldn’t live to see him grow up.

  ?

  ?Her shaking hands cupped his face, a weak smile forming on her lips even as her strength waned tears of regret streaming down her face

  ?

  ?"Mama… don’t cry… please… say something…"

  ?

  ?Alisa opened her mouth, but no words came. Only a pained gasp. Then her eyes shifted to Jenny. And with her final breath, she whispered one word.

  ?

  ?"Please…"

  ?

  ?Then she was gone.

  ?

  ?The world was never the same after that.

  ?

  ?

  ?"As if your people didn’t kill ours before that!" he snapped, his voice trembling with anger.

  ?

  ?Jasmine’s eyes widened before narrowing, her own rage flaring. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean? Do you really think innocent, hardworking men and women deserved to die because of what a few fanatics did?!"

  ?

  ?"Your few fanatics started the problem!" Micheal shot back. "You should have kept them under control!"

  ?

  ?Jenny’s desperate footsteps echoed in his mind. The way she had shielded him, the bullets whizzing past them. The way they had trampled over Alisa’s corpse like she was nothing. His stomach churned.

  ?

  ?Jasmine’s voice cut through his thoughts, venomous. "Do you hear yourself right now?! You pathetic excuse for a human being! You’re saying thousands deserved to die for the mistakes of a few?! You’re saying my parents deserved to die?!"

  ?

  ?Micheal faltered. "I... I didn’t mean that."

  ?Jenny’s hands had been shaking as she carried him, her breaths short and panicked. "There! Get her!" The shout came from behind. Gunshots rang out. She held him tighter. Shielded him with her own body.

  ?

  ?"Oh, didn’t you?! Because that’s exactly what it sounded like!"

  ?

  ?"You’re acting like you’re all saints!" he fired back.

  ?

  ?Jenny’s labored breathing. The fall from the third-story window. The sickening crunch as she hit the ground, cradling him in her arms. The way she had crawled into the shed, whispering reassurances even as her blood seeped through her clothes.

  ?

  ?"Oh, but we can’t be saints, can we?! That’s only for your people with your so-called special blood!"

  ?

  ?Micheal’s anger boiled over. "You should know who your bet—"

  ?

  ?"What is going on here."

  ?

  ?Aki’s voice was cold, sharp as a blade.

  ?

  ?Micheal stopped mid-sentence, his breath hitching. Aki stood at the doorway, arms crossed, his dark eyes unreadable. He took in the scene—Jasmine’s trembling fists, Micheal’s heaving chest, the thick tension between them.

  ?

  ?"Jas. Go to your room."

  ?

  ?Jasmine opened her mouth to argue but stopped when she saw the look in Aki’s eyes. She clenched her jaw, shot Micheal a final glare, and stormed out.

  ?

  ?Aki turned his gaze to Micheal. "You need to clear your head. I won’t train a man who can’t accept his past or his present, because a man like that has no future." his voice was cold, blunt almost cruel.

  ?

  ?Micheal swallowed hard, still fuming. "You don’t know anything about me."

  ?

  ?Aki’s lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smirk. "Oh, but I do. I know that you are nothing.You’re not special. You’re not important. You’re just another lost orphan, clinging to the past like a coward.All I see is a boy who thinks the world owes him something, A boy too weak to move over the past. A fool with no ambition. Tell me, Micheal—where do you see yourself in a few weeks?"

  ?

  ?Micheal seethed, his vision blurred with anger. He could feel the burning in his throat, the hot, unwelcome tears stinging his eyes. The rage brewing like a storm. At this moment he didn't see Aki as one of the strongest, all he saw was a man insulting him.

  ?

  ?

  ?Aki’s tone was cold, merciless. "I think the only reason Axel brought you here was to see just how pathetic you really are."

  ?

  ?That did it.

  ?

  ?With a furious cry, Micheal lunged at him. His vision blurred with rage. He barely registered Aki moving before he was on his back, the wind knocked out of him, pain radiating through his spine. Aki stood over him, unmoved.

  ?

  ?"Prove me wrong," he murmured. "I dare you."

  ?

  ?The door closed. Silence filled the room.

  ?

  ?Micheal didn’t move. He barely even breathed. The rage had drained out of him, leaving only the hollow ache in his chest. A part of him knew Aki was right but he didn't want to admit it.

  ?

  ?Tears spilled down his face, hot and silent. His body ached, but nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

  ?

  ?Jenny’s voice whispered in his mind. Her blood had stained her shirt, the warmth of her arms fading. Her fingers had trembled as they brushed through his hair one last time.

  ?

  ?"Micheal… I… I’m sorry… Alisa… I’m sorry… I… I can’t…"

  ?

  ?Her words broke apart, scattered like dying embers. He had buried his face in her chest, sobbing. He had clung to her even as her grip went limp, even as her warmth faded to nothing.

  ?

  ?By the time he finally slept, there was no one left to comfort him.

  ?

  ?And when he woke up, her arms were still around him—cold, pale, and lifeless.

  ?

  ?Just like his world.

  ?

  ?