Consciousness faded in and out, it was hard for him to tell what bodily sensations were real or fake. Intense pain was felt all over his body in short bursts like at any minute, his body would explode from within. A bright, blinding light, was beamed into his eyes and engulfed the space, making it impossible for him to look in a direction where light was not shining directly and uncomfortably into his eyes. While his pupils attempted to adjust to the excruciatingly bright light, four men, each in a different coloured hazard suit approached him slowly and in synchronisation, the echo of their footsteps filled the room with an ominous atmosphere. At this point he realised he was strapped to a chair and the terror of being unable to move when all his senses were blaring danger signals felt like he was being punished by God himself. One of the men, dressed in a red hazard suit, slowly took out an injection vial while keeping an intense stare firmly on him. The vial was filled with a bright, multicoloured liquid. The man moved closer and forcefully injected his arm with the vial. The liquid shot all throughout his body within seconds. The pain was unbearable. It was as if his blood would mutate into acid and burn through his skin. He let out a devastating scream, the scream of a man who could feel nothing but pain.

  Kaneki’s eyes snapped open as he awoke from his nightmare. His body was drenched in sweat and his breathing was rapid. A haunting feeling hung over him as he stared blankly at his ceiling. It felt like he was truly strapped to that chair, feeling a pain that made even death seem like a mercy. The forceful stab of the needle piercing his arm the and the hellish feeling of what seemed like his blood, boiling inside his body; it all felt too real to pass off as merely a nightmare.

  “Kaneki! Time for breakfast! Get down here, would you?”, called his father from downstairs.

  Kaneki blinked as his focus was returned to the present moment. It almost felt uncanny that everything was so calm after waking up from such a ghastly experience. Kaneki’s eyes darted around his room, searching, almost waiting for a monstrous creature to rip him to shreds, but there was nothing. He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly, ‘Maybe it really was just a nightmare, just a very cruel one.’ he thought to himself, attempting to cool his nerves. As he remembered that his father was waiting, Kaneki pushed the thoughts of his nightmare out of his head and made his way downstairs.

  “Morning, Kaneki.”, his father said joyfully as Kaneki entered the kitchen.

  Kaneki’s father was a tall, handsome and well-kept man. Whether it was morning, afternoon or night, his clothes and hair were in fantastic condition, his clothes completely unwrinkled, and his black hair combed into a stylish side-middle part. It was for this reason that Kaneki, who had straight black hair, who use his hands to attempt the same style that his father had, never once did he succeed. His father always wore a kind and gentle expression on his face. It was enough to take anyone off edge and be brought back to state of calm and tranquillity. Kaneki’s nerves cooled, his father’s presence was a warm reminder that he was safe and secure.

  “Morning, dad.”, he replied softly, only half smiling.

  “Oh, you seem quiet, is something wrong?”, his father asked, bending down to reach Kaneki’s eye level.

  “It’s n-nothing, dad”, Kaneki stuttered, moving back with his eyes to the ground.

  “If you say so, Kaneki.”, he laughed.

  His father gave Kaneki a bowl of cereal and the two walked to the dining table to start their day. The cereal was the same as always, a store brand cereal with no distinctive taste or nutritional value but it was all Kaneki’s father could afford, so he never felt the need to complain. The wooden chairs creaked as the two sat down, every creak was a reminder of the house’s wear and that at any point, the furniture may let up. In fact, their house couldn’t be called anything more than a fancy shed; the house from top to bottom was made from wood planks, covered in small holes. The house was just about able to keep out the wind and the rain, even so, whenever such weather occurred, conditions inside the house were not much better than the conditions outside the house. However, this was life as Kaneki knew it, the house’s signs of wear were never a source of complaint for him. But his older brother’s constant absence during breakfast was all Kaneki would complain about.

  “Jiro’s not here again?”, enquired Kaneki, looking at his father with an innocent expression.

  Kaneki’s father closed his eyes and smiled; everyday he would ask this question. It was as if Kaneki’s longing desire for his brother’s company was eternally unsatisfied.

  “He left in the morning to see his friends”, his father replied with a slight dismay in his voice, “He’s only 15 and he wants his independence so badly. I hope you can stay as my breakfast buddy.”.

  Being only 10 years old, Kaneki couldn’t understand the desperation for independence that comes with being a teenager, so he dismissed the idea. As he finished his breakfast, Kaneki recollected the time he and his brother used to spend together. Memories of the snowman they called ‘snowmancer’ and the countless games of football came flooding back, giving a bittersweet feeling to Kaneki, given his consistent absence everyday, only returning at night.

  “Dad?”, called Kaneki from across the table, “How come all those ‘strange events’ only began after Jiro started spending less time with us?”

  His father looked at Kaneki in silence for a moment before exhaling loudly through his nose.

  “I told you already, those black tornadoes have nothing to do with Jiro.” he replied, visibly fed up.

  Kaneki remained silent, noticing his father’s expression.

  The chairs let out another weary creak as the two stood up, as if to communicate that their time of use was nearing its end.

  “Right, I’m off to work” muttered Kaneki’s dad under his breath.

  As short as it was, this would be he and Kaneki’s final conversation until the very end of the day. The monotonous routine of having both his father and older brother absent everyday had Kaneki progressively sinking into a feeling of loneliness. But he knew that any attempt to change this routine would be futile; after all, his brother hadn’t been around often for almost 3 years at this point and his father had no choice but to work like this to keep what little the family had. Kaneki recalled his overall powerlessness as he watched his dad leave for work, a sight that he had seen so many times that it was almost as if he was stuck in an infinite time loop.

  As he turned to return upstairs, Kaneki was halted by the sound of a rhythmic knock at the front door. He recognised the rhythm as his eyes widened and an excited smile slowly took over his previously mundane expression. Kaneki rushed to the door and swung it open to see his best friend standing there to greet him.

  “Red!”, Kaneki exclaimed.

  Red was the same age as Kaneki, he was chubby and pampered boy. His hair was golden and always perfectly curled at the ends, his clothes were finely woven with an array of different bright colours as opposed to Kaneki who would usually be seen wearing black or grey. Despite the two being best friends, both boys had grown up in completely different conditions. While Kaneki lived a very modest life in a flat area of land in the countryside, Red had grown up in an extravagant mansion in the distant hills that overlooked the city.

  “Hey, Kaneki”, Red said cooly, “My dad said you would be alone all day and the teacher for my archery class is off sick so we should hang out!”

  “Yes!”, Kaneki replied emphatically, his eyes glowing with the excitement of having someone to spend the day with for a change.

  With that, the two set off and without any communication, it was decided that they would make their way to the hills to spend the day at Red’s house.

  “Did you see it last night?”, Red asked, keeping his head forward but pointing his eyes at Kaneki.

  “The black tornado?” he replied

  “Yeah!”, Red began excitedly, “It only lasted 30 seconds just like all the other times.”

  “Was it in the woods near your house again?, Kaneki asked, showing concern.

  “Yup, just like all the other times.”, Red replied, proudly.

  Kaneki burst out laughing.

  “Don’t the tornadoes call power surges?”, Kaneki asked as he laughed, clearly trying to provoke Red.

  Red smiled as he conceded to Kaneki’s mockery and the two continued to poke friendly jokes at each other, each of them trying to one-up each other which carried on for 10 minutes until the two boys couldn’t breathe due to laughter, causing them to make a mutual truce.

  “Soo, what is... archery?”, Kaneki asked, almost failing to pronounce the word.

  “Oh, it’s the new lessons they introduced at my school, they teach you to use a bow and arrow.”, Red explained casually, “The equipment your dad uses to hunt.”

  Kaneki’s smile faded with the notion that Red was able to see his father during his work hours, it would be a complete rarity if Kaneki could ever visit his father’s workplace, yet Red was able to mention it with no second thought.

  “How are you able to watch my dad work?”, Kaneki asked, his eyebrows becoming slightly furrowed.

  “My dad lets me in his office sometimes, he’s able to see all the hunting progress from up there.”, Red replied offhandedly.

  Kaneki forced a fake smile and chose not to ask further, changing the subject as they continued their trek to the distant hills.

  Upon arriving to Red’s house, Kaneki stopped and admired what he was seeing before him, scanning every detail of the house from top to bottom. This was by no means one of the first times he was here but even so, he would take time to admire to view upon every visit. Red’s house seemed impossibly tall to Kaneki, the exterior walls were all painted white with two blue stripes at the top and in the middle of the building’s exterior. Every window was outlined with a fancy red flower design and bushes, that were perfectly trimmed to around half the height of Kaneki, traced the bottom of the exterior walls of the house.

  “Come inside, Kaneki.”, Red sighed, holding the door open for him.

  Kaneki’s wondering mind made its way back to present moment as he entered the house and followed Red to the living room. Nothing had changed since the last time he was here, on one side, cream-coloured fabric couches were aligned together in front of the TV behind a small glass table that held a half-eaten bucket of popcorn, a canned fizzy drink and 2 bottles of vodka; on the other side was the dining table made from a light-brown polished wood and the chairs being made of the same material but the back rests and seats were made from a cushion of white leather. In the middle however, sat a long pedestal holding a collection of expensive vases. Kaneki had a particular interest in this collection; his father would repeatedly express his interest in decorating their house and one of the vases in Red’s collection seemed like a perfect fit for his taste Kaneki thought.

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  As he continued his inspection of the living room, Red left the living room for a moment and returned with a toy archery set, identical in size to the real archery set that Red would use but instead, the bow was made from plastic, and the arrows were made from foam.

  “Kaneki.....”, called Red slowly from across the room, in a luring fashion, “You wanna practice some archery together?”

  “Sure!”, Kaneki replied with a smile, initially excited but upon seeing the bow and arrow, his smile dwindled slightly.

  Nevertheless, the two played with the archery set all day, both boys relished the delight of spending a carefree day in friendly competition, teasing and mocking each other to fuel their fierce rivalry.

  As the sun sunk under the horizon, both boys had finally run out of energy from playing and took a seat on the couch, while they were initially sitting up, their fatigue caused them to lie down within a minute.

  “So how long have you been taking these archery classes then?”, Kaneki asked, lying on his back with his head upside down and facing Red.

  “Probably a month now I think.” he replied carelessly

  Kaneki smirked.

  “Wow, a whole month and I am still better than you?”, he boasted.

  The two boys burst out laughing while rolling around on the couch when at that moment, they heard the door open. Red got up with excitement and ran to the door to see his parents enter the house.

  “Mum, Dad, you’re back finally!”, Red exclaimed.

  Kaneki kept a distance as he watched the heartfelt greeting. Red’s father was a tall, round man, he was bald except for a bit of hair at the back of his head, his mother was slightly shorter but very slim with long golden hair, they both however, were wearing fancy outfits; Red’s father wearing a tuxedo and his mother wearing a long black silk dress.

  “Hey... hic... kiddo”, Red’s father hiccuped, stumbling into the house and flopping on to the couch as he sank all his weight into the soft cushions, completely ignoring Kaneki’s presence.

  “Hi there, Kaneki”, Red’s mother greeted, spotting him and giving a nervous laugh, “Sorry about my husband, he had a little too much to drink today, we would love to keep you for dinner, but I think it’s best you get back to your family.”

  Kaneki nodded, giving a polite smile as he looked at Red.

  “Sorry, man,”, Red said, while holding his mother’s hand as he walked to the living room, “It was really nice hanging out today!”

  Kaneki watched as the family united on the couch and forgot about him in mere seconds, a cruel reminder to Kaneki of his loneliness. The family’s laughter filled the room, as Red’s face beamed with happiness, Kaneki felt his solitude press against his chest harder. Clenching his fist, Kaneki’s attention flicked to the collection of vases. Why couldn’t his family achieve the same bond that Red’s family had? The image of his dad smiling and having a close family bond flashed in Kaneki’s eyes, urging him to steal a vase. Guilt hung over Kaneki as he inched closer to the vases, placing his hand on the cold ceramic of what stood between him and gaining the familial love, he so desperately desired. His chest felt tight, Kaneki turned his head to see Red’s family and with that, he clenched his jaw tight and took a vase off from the collection. Every step towards the front door felt like he was moving deeper and deeper into a minefield, as Kaneki opened the door, he heard a voice call out to him.

  “Don’t even think about it, kid.”

  Kaneki turned his head to find Red’s father staring directly at him, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes piercing a hole through Kaneki. The room went silent. Kaneki could feel all the eyes in the room casting a judgemental light on him.

  “I-I’m sorry”, Kaneki spluttered, barely getting the words out and frozen in fear.

  Gritting his teeth, Red’s father left the couch and walked over to Kaneki, his eyes locked l    ightly on the boy, Kaneki could do nothing but silently watch in terror as the man shook the ground with his steps. The man clenched his fist and took a breath when suddenly, he threw a spiteful forward kick straight into the chest of Kaneki, knocking the wind right out of him and sending him sprawling onto the grass outside the house. The vase smashed as Kaneki layed his eyes on the scattered pieces, unable to comprehend what had happened in the last few moments.

  “What is wrong with you!”

  “Dad, what the hell”

  Red and his mother called out and watched in devastation as the man lifted Kaneki by the collar of his shirt and threw him across the lawn, exploiting the massive difference in strength between the two. Kaneki crashed into the dirt, landing on his back and rolling onto his chest, his heart was beating out of his chest as he attempted to lift his body off the floor, it felt as if fear itself was weighing Kaneki down and stopping any futile attempt to fight back. As he heard Red’s father’s footsteps get closer, Kaneki closed his eyes curled up into a ball, shivering with fear and hoping the man would show mercy, but he showed no sign of stopping. At that moment, Kaneki heard someone running towards him, but he curled up tighter as the footsteps got closer and closer.

  “Don’t ever touch my brother again, do you hear me”, shouted a familiar voice as Kaneki heard the sound of Red’s father being pushed back.

  Kaneki uncurled himself and slowly lifted his head to see Jiro standing between him and Red’s father. He felt the fear being lifted off his back as tears welled up in his eyes.

  “D-Do.. You even know.. Who the hell you are talking to, boy?!”, the man bellowed, his aggression showing no signs of cooling down, “Your father.... works for me... I can get him fired.”

  Jiro widened his eyes and took a step forward, his body rigid with tension. Kaneki noticed a shift in the air currents around Jiro when he a felt as if a rhythmic pulse was being emitted from his brother’s body. Is this my imagination? He thought to himself – something was different with Jiro.

  “I can... get you kicked out.... of that disgusting shack that you and your worthless family call a home”, sneered Red’s father, smirking and staring Jiro directly in his eyes,

  “Some.... scrawny kid like you... could nev-”

  With that Jiro closed the gap between himself and the man with blinding speed, Kaneki could barely see the movement. As he landed a devastating right hook across his jaw, flash of black light sparked at the point of impact. Time slowed down for Kaneki as he watched the man’s feet lift from the floor for a split-second before his massive frame was sent flying dozens of meters across the lawn before falling to the ground with a sickening thud. Kaneki watched in utter shock with his mouth agape; it looked unnatural for a man of his size to be treated almost like a ragdoll, no human could ever show even half the strength he had just witnessed. He turned his head to Jiro who was keeping his eyes on Red’s father while catching his breath, he did not seem surprised with the inhuman strength he had just shown.

  “Oh my god, honey!”, Red’s mother screamed as she ran across the lawn towards her husband’s body. Kaneki’s mind was racing as her scream echoed in his ear, he couldn’t tell if the man was unconscious or if he had watched his brother murder him in cold blood.

  “Dad?”, Red whimpered, falling to his knees as tears rolled down his face.

  The guilt flooded in. Kaneki’s careless act of stealing had lead to this, his best friend just watched his father’s complete annihilation. His chest felt tight, he wished this was just some cruel nightmare, but it wasn’t. The pain all over his body from the beating he just took, the electrifying sensation in the air following Jiro’s superhuman strength, the heart-breaking sounds of Red and his mother crying – it was all real.

  “Kaneki.”, called Jiro in a monotone voice, “We need to go back home.”

  “But... what about him?”, asked Kaneki, his voice breaking and his body frozen.

  “He’s not dead.”, reassured Jiro, still monotone, “He’s just unconscious.”

  ‘It would be a miracle if he was simply unconscious after an impact like that.’ Kaneki thought to himself as he picked himself up slowly and turned his attention to his brother in disbelief. Jiro was completely calm. The mysterious black energy, his superhuman strength and speed and the condition of Red’s father – neither Jiro’s face nor his body language exhibited any form of reaction to these events. A ghastly chill ran down Kaneki’s spine.

  “How.. Did you? Why are you?”, Kaneki stuttered, his body shaking with fear and disbelief.

  Jiro took his hand and without hesitation, started to make his way back home.

  “Tomorrow, Kaneki... I will tell you everything.”, Jiro explained, holding his hand tightly as he quickened his pace, “For now, you just need to get back home and sleep.”

  Kaneki didn’t say a word; his eyes were wide open as he turned his head to the ground.

  The two brothers continued their trek back home, the cries of Red and his mother echoed in the distance, a constant reminder of the damage he and his brother caused to Red and his family.

  The air felt cold and lifeless during the walk back home. The events of the night were replaying in Kaneki’s head and over, each time the guilt and fear pierced his heart further and further. He shifted his attention to his brother, his eyes were focused on the journey ahead and his mind seemed clear as opposed to Kaneki’s fractured thoughts. Jiro’s hair calmly blew in the wind and his clothes were clean and in perfect condition, it was as if from head to toe, he had no reaction to the events of night.

  Should I admire Jiro or be afraid of him? Kaneki thought to himself. His brother had saved his life but his unnatural strength and calm demeanour felt almost psychotic, like the Jiro he remembered was nowhere to be found. At that moment, Kaneki felt the strength in his legs give way as he collapsed to the ground, his vision was blurry and he felt a stabbing pain in his chest. It seems the adrenaline that numbed the pain of his injuries had left his body. Within seconds, Jiro picked him up off the floor and carried Kaneki in his arms.

  “I’ve got you.” Jiro said calmly under his breath.

  Kaneki’s vision blurred more, he felt his eyelids grow heavy as his consciousness faded. Upon hearing his brother’s supportive words, Kaneki wanted to feel safe in his brother’s arms but Jiro he had witnessed today was nothing like his brother. Nevertheless, his body lacked the strength to stay awake and so he drifted to sleep to the sound of Jiro’s footsteps.

  Kaneki’s consciousness returned briefly; his eyelids still heavy but the pain from his body almost entirely gone. As he scanned his surroundings, he realised he was in his bed. A moment of tranquillity calmed his mind, realising Jiro had carried him back home and tucked him into bed; but the upon thinking of Jiro, the memories of what had happened that night sent a sickening shiver across his body. Tears welled in his eyes thinking of how Red must be feeling right now. Kaneki felt a lump in his throat upon realising that the events of tonight would never be undone, how could he call himself Red’s best friend after sentencing his father to such a horrific fate? The thoughts in his mind grew louder and louder. How could Jiro possibly explain the superhuman abilities he displayed? Kaneki wondered how one stupid mistake could cause his whole world to come crashing down. When suddenly, he heard voices shouting from downstairs. Kaneki recognised this, his brother and father were arguing again, most likely over Jiro’s prolonged absence – as it usually is. However, instead of both voices aggressively shouting over each other, only one voice sounded slightly aggressive while the other voice was breaking into tears. Concerned, Kaneki got out of bed to investigate, he stepped softly as to not alert his family but as he opened the door, he heard a loud thud followed by silence; both voices had completely stopped. Kaneki froze for a moment in shock, before he continued his way to the stairs. As he crept downstairs, he heard sniffling.

  “I’m sorry” a voice whispered while crying.

  Kaneki threw caution out the window as he sprinted into the living room to see a horrifying sight. His father, lifeless with a knife wedged in his chest and Jiro standing over his body.

  “D-Dad?”, Kaneki squeaked.

  Jiro turned around in shock, his body was frozen, and his face looked as if he had just seen a ghost. He reached his hand out to Kaneki.

  “Kaneki... listen, I-”

  Kaneki screamed at the horror he saw before his eyes. His brother no longer existed; he had to have been a monster disguised as what he believed was Jiro. Without a second thought, Kaneki sprinted for the door feeling as though death was just over his shoulder. It was like time slowed down, the door looking as if it were moving further away with each stride. But just as he reached it Kaneki felt Jiro’s hand grab his shoulder as an electrifying shock was sent all throughout his body. The image of Jiro’s overwhelming strength flashed in Kaneki’s mind – It's over, he’s gonna kill me! He thought to himself, Jiro’s grip on his shoulder tightened, and turned him around. As Kaneki turned to face Jiro, he saw his father’s dead body in the corner of his eye. Time stopped for Kaneki, he remembered his father’s warm smile and now he will never see it again. The shocking revelation hit him, the loss and pain he felt from witnessing his father’s body, sparked a change in Kaneki. The sorrow evolved into something darker within him, the thought of his father being gone tore right through his heart. He clenched his fist, and it was like the world shook in response, he felt overwhelming strength course throughout his body and a pulse of energy but rather than it coming from Jiro like before, it came from within. Every sensation and emotion within Kaneki culminated into one singular thought - ‘Fight’. The instruction sent voices all throughout his mind, urging him to end the life of the man he saw before him. But before he had the chance to act further, Kaneki’s vision went white, and he lost consciousness.