A young boy in a school uniform, his pale skin as white as snow, walked along the side of the road, clutching his backpack tightly. He might have been only ten years old, but he bore more burdens and suffering than most children—and even some adults.
This boy harbored a deep hatred for humanity, despite being one of them. His gaze seemed distant as he thought of children in impoverished countries, dying from starvation because their lands had not seen a single drop of rain in decades. These children perished from thirst and hunger, wondering why their land had been cursed by God with infertility and an eternal drought.
They did not know the truth: their suffering was the result of first-world countries exploiting their environment until nothing remained. Humanity's greed and ignorance had made the Earth—their shared home—warmer every year. And their nation, fragile and struggling, was among the first to face the devastating consequences.
The government of their country, whose population was dying from thirst and hunger, allowed these first-world nations to slowly destroy their environment in exchange for personal wealth and power. Driven by greed, they turned a blind eye to the suffering of their people and the irreversible damage to their land.
Because of this unchecked exploitation, species of animals that had roamed the Earth for thousands—if not millions—of years, surviving extinction after extinction, now faced annihilation. All of it was due to humanity's ignorance and greed.
Humans were dismantling the very cycle of life they were a part of. By arrogantly believing themselves above all of nature, they were inevitably paving the way to their own destruction.
One year ago, Cyrus became a shaman, as all his family was destined to be. But all he had learned since then was how much he hated humanity. His mother, grandparents, and even Shirokae had taught him to take pride in being a shaman, to believe in the honor of their calling. Yet no matter how hard he tried, Cyrus could not understand what kind of pride they meant.
He wanted to believe them, to hold onto their teachings with all his heart. But everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but proof of humanity's ignorance and cruelty. His clueless classmates, people forced to flee their lands because some greedy corporation had destroyed them, and the harrowing truth that even though slavery was illegal everywhere, it was more widespread now than during the Atlantic slave trade—all of it filled Cyrus with disdain.
To him, humanity was forever selfish and ignorant, incapable of change. The boy ignored the advice of his elders. He still hated humanity and wished for their extinction.
But, of course, he didn't have the power to wipe out an entire species with a snap of his fingers. That was why, just yesterday, he came to a chilling realization: if he ever had the ultimate choice—a choice only a god could wield—he would destroy humanity entirely.
It wouldn't matter to him whether they were ignorant, selfish humans or shamans who wielded powers beyond the physical realm, waiting for their hearts to be corrupted by that very power. He would kill them all, leaving no exceptions.
This seething hatred burned within him. But was this overwhelming disdain simply a part of the burden every shaman must carry at some point in their life?
As he continued walking along the side of the road, the school came into view. Step by step, he made his way toward it, only to spot the same group of kids who had ganged up on him earlier that day. As he walked past them, he could feel their stares, filled with disgust and mockery—but not fear. They had already forgotten what he'd done to them yesterday.
He didn't care about their stares and kept walking toward the school entrance. But before he could reach it, the group rushed ahead, shoving him aside as they laughed. He didn't care about that either.
As much as he despised them, these kids—ignorant humans he hated enough to want to destroy—were, in the end, just children. Like him.
Shirokae had once told him that as a child, he had infinite potential to grow. Maybe, just maybe, some of these selfish, ignorant kids could one day grow into beautiful souls.
He walked to his locker, placed his backpack inside, and made his way to class. He was almost late, and as he entered, the teacher quickly told him to hurry and take his seat. She had an important announcement to make.
"Good morning, everyone. Today, I'd like to introduce a new student who will be joining our class. Please, go ahead and introduce yourself, dear."
A beautiful girl with silver hair and eyes that shimmered with a blend of black and silver stepped into the room. She wore the school uniform, her skirt swaying gently as she walked. A delicate pink flower hair clip adorned her hair, adding a soft touch to her striking appearance.
She stood beside the teacher, placing a hand over her chest as she introduced herself:
"Hello, my name is Liliana Fiorella. I hope we can all become great friends," she said with a gentle smile.
The teacher nodded approvingly and gestured to the room.
"Please take any seat you like!"
As Liliana walked down the aisle, several students eagerly invited her to sit near them.
"You can sit next to me, Liliana!"
"If you want, there's a seat here!"
But amidst the friendly offers, other whispers began to circulate, spoken just loud enough for Cyrus to hear.
"Don't sit next to Cyrus. He's a creep from that weird family that claims they can see ghosts."
"Yeah, no one talks to him—he's strange."
Despite their attempt to whisper, their words carried across the classroom. Cyrus didn't react; he was used to it. He kept his gaze down, indifferent to their gossip.
But Liliana's silver eyes drifted toward the back of the class, where Cyrus sat alone, with no one near him. After a brief pause, she excused herself from the other students and walked to the very back of the room. Without hesitation, she sat down next to him.
Cyrus glanced at her briefly before turning his gaze back to the wall, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular. Liliana lingered for a moment, her expression calm and gentle.
"Hello, Cyrus," she said softly. "If it's all right for me to call you by your name, I hope we can become great friends."
Cyrus didn't respond. He kept staring at the wall, unbothered by her words—or at least appearing so.
Meanwhile, the gossip in the classroom grew louder. The students whispered about the silver-haired girl choosing to sit next to the "weird kid" from the "creepy family," their voices just barely hushed, but loud enough for the tension in the room to be palpable.
***
As the two periods ended, Cyrus found himself lying in the same field of flowers he was accustomed to, the place where he often sought solace. He had no intention of returning to school for the rest of the day. His wooden sword rested beside him, untouched.
He simply stared at the drifting clouds above, his eyes hollow and distant, lost in thoughts that seemed as empty as the sky.
Then, Cyrus noticed a silver-haired girl with a gentle smile blocking his view of the sky. She was lowering herself to get a better look at his face.
Cyrus sighed in annoyance, his tone flat as he muttered,
"What do you want?"
Liliana, still wearing her soft smile, responded,
"You're really not liked by others, Cyrus. People in the classroom—and even in other classes—talk about how scary you and your family are. Personally, I don't care about such gossip, but… is it true that you can see spirits?"
Cyrus sighed, his voice low as he muttered,
"I can't see spirits..."
His brown eyes met her silver ones, and for a moment, they both stared at each other in silence. Then Liliana giggled softly, her smile never wavering.
"I doubt that, Cyrus," she said playfully. "I can always recognize the ignorant from the ones who aren't. I mean, it would be nice if you could see spirits, Cyrus, because... I can see them as clearly as I see your beautiful brown eyes."
chapter forty-six end
{After Chapter Poem}
The world may be ugly,
And the tiny ants filling it may be ugly, not in body, but in spirit.
I may hate that world and all that dwell within it.
Yet, I have her—and I have you.
The love I lost for her,
And then you came into my life, filling me with love once more.
My silver eyes rest upon you.
I may hate the world, as you hate it in return,
But as long as I have you by my side,
I can walk my final road,
With no hatred left in my heart.