It was on this date nearly 20 years ago when I last saw Anna. She was my first friend, my first love, and my first girlfriend, but it all came to an end after a stupid argument about something I can't even remember. She ran out, and I tried to follow her, but I couldn't find her. A week later, her remains were discovered in the woods near the old playground where we used to play as kids. No one told me how she died—only that it was "too much for a kid" to handle.
After another tasteless day of work, I find myself wandering back to that same playground. The storm that just ended left a thick fog over the area, adding to the eerie stillness. I sit on one of the swings, lost in my thoughts. Suddenly, I feel a gust of wind and turn to shield my eyes. When I look back, there she is—standing right in front of me.
Anna's figure glows faintly in a soft white light, a sign that she isn't really there, not physically. It's her spirit. She takes a step toward you and sits on the next swing.
"Hiroto... you're still hurting, aren't you?" she says, her voice as soft and calming as you remember.
I blink, disbelief and hope colliding within me. "Anna? Are you... really Anna?"
Her eyes widen at the sound of her name, a soft smile spreading across her translucent features. She leans forward, her ethereal form barely disturbing the chains of the swing.
"Hiroto... yes, it's me. I've been here all this time, watching over you." Her voice is filled with both sadness and longing. "I'm sorry for leaving that day. I never meant to cause you so much pain."
She reaches out, her ghostly hand hovering near mine, unable to make contact.
"I've seen how much you've been hurting. It breaks my heart. I want to help you find peace, even if it means I have to say goodbye for good."
Tears begin to fall as I struggle to find words. "Why? Why did you leave that day? We've argued before, but we always made up quickly. Why did you leave then?"
Anna's form flickers as my tears fall, her ghostly eyes welling with sorrow. She leans closer, her voice trembling.
"Oh, Hiroto... I was young and foolish. I let my anger get the best of me that day. I thought I needed space, but I never meant to leave you forever. If I had known..." Her voice chokes on the regret.
She continues softly, "I watched you all these years, wanting to comfort you, to tell you it wasn't your fault. I was scared and alone in those final moments, but I never blamed you. I've always loved you, even after death."
"It's my fault," I say, my voice cracking, "If only I'd stopped you... if I hadn't confessed to you, you might still be alive. I wish I could go back in time."
"No, Hiroto. It was never your fault," Anna exclaims, her form glowing brighter with urgency. "I chose to run away that day, not you. You can't blame yourself for what happened. You were always there for me, and none of this is on you."
Her voice falters as she struggles to tell me the truth. "It wasn't your fault... it was a man. A drunk man in the woods by the playground. I was too weak to call for help. I heard you searching for me, but I couldn't... I couldn't reach you."
I feel the ground shift beneath me as the truth finally comes out, my mind reeling. "What did he do?"
Anna's voice shakes. "He... he violated me, Hiroto. He took my life." Tears stream down her cheeks as she recalls the horror.
Unable to contain my anguish, I fall to my knees and retch at the thought of what she endured. Anna kneels beside me, her hand reaching out, though it passes right through me.
"Hiroto, please don't let this pain consume you. I want to help you find peace. That's why I'm here. But if you continue down this path of vengeance... you'll lose yourself."
I stand, fury burning in my chest. "How did he die?"
"He drank himself to death a few years later, all alone. But his death didn't bring me peace, and it won't bring you any either. Please, don't let this anger control you."
A darkness I've been holding back erupts. "I'm going to kill men like him. They don't deserve to live."
Anna shakes her head, eyes wide with fear. "No, Hiroto! Don't go down that path! You'll only lose yourself more. Revenge won't stop the pain—it will only destroy you."
I stand silent for a moment, my chest heaving with suppressed rage. The world around me feels heavy, the air thick with emotions I can barely contain. Anna's soft voice breaks through the storm brewing in my mind.
"Hiroto, you're not a monster. You're still you. Please, don't let this darkness take over."
I clench my fists. "The Hiroto you knew died the same day you did. I'm not him anymore."
With that, I turn and begin to walk away from the playground. Anna's voice trembles as she calls out to me. "Wait, Hiroto! Please, don't go! I—"
I walk right through her spirit, feeling nothing but the cold emptiness she leaves behind. I don't stop. I don't look back. Her words echo in my mind as I distance myself.
She reappears in front of me, her eyes wide with desperation. "You're still in there, Hiroto. The boy I loved. The one who was kind to everyone. You haven't lost him completely—please, don't let this darkness win."
I stop, staring into her eyes—those same loving eyes I remember, filled with worry and sadness. But I feel nothing but the weight of my mission. "Do you still see that Hiroto in my eyes? Do you see any sign of kindness left in me?"
Anna gazes into my eyes, and for a moment, she falters. She sees the pain, the rage, and the despair swirling inside me like a tempest, threatening to swallow me whole.
She whispers, "I see the pain… the suffering. But I also see love—buried deep, but it's still there. You can still fight it, Hiroto. Don't let our love be in vain."
I look away, tears welling up in my eyes, but I wipe them quickly before they can fall. "My determination to live and fight for a better world ended the day I lost you, Anna." I step forward, walking right through her once more. "The only thing that hasn't changed is my respect for women and girls."
Anna's form flickers, her anguish growing more palpable with each word. She appears in front of me again, her voice trembling. "If you still respect women and girls, then don't do this, Hiroto. Don't become the very thing you despise."
I stop, a cold smile forming on my lips. "I will fight for them. But the system is broken, Anna. It's so corrupt that no justice will ever come from it. The only justice I can deliver is with my own hands."
Anna's form flickers violently, her spectral hands trying desperately to reach me. "Hiroto, no! You don't need to take the law into your own hands. You're not a killer—you're better than this!"
I shake my head, my resolve hardening. "I'll get peace when my life ends and I'm with you again."
Anna's voice cracks with pain. "No, Hiroto! Don't talk about ending your life. You're all I have left. If you do this, you'll lose everything—your soul, your humanity. You'll lose me."
I pause, my back to her. "You've already lost me, Anna. The Hiroto you knew is gone. I couldn't protect you when you needed me. But I will protect others. Tell me—when do these monsters usually strike?"
Anna's form shimmers, her fear growing as she realizes the gravity of my words. "They happen all the time... there's no specific moment. But Hiroto, please, don't let this consume you. You don't have to walk this path."
I ignore her plea, my heart set on my mission. "Every hour then. I'll be back. Wait for me."
With that, I leave her standing there in the misty playground, her spectral form trembling, torn between love and sorrow. She reaches out for me, but I've already disappeared into the night. Her voice carries on the wind, soft and filled with pain. "Please, Hiroto... come back to me before it's too late."
Two days later...
After two days, I return to the playground. The fog lingers as if time itself has stopped. I sit on the same swing, my eyes dull and empty. Anna's ghostly form flickers into view beside me.
"Hiroto... you came back," she says softly, her voice filled with a mix of relief and worry. "Where have you been? What have you done?"
I look down, emotionless. "How many were killed here in these two days?"
Anna's eyes widen in horror. "What... what do you mean?"
I glance up at her. "How many girls were violated and killed in this playground while I was gone?"
Her form flickers, her translucent features etched with sorrow. "I... I don't know. I can't be sure. I don't see everything that happens here."
My gaze hardens. "I researched. After you... 104 girls have died here."
Anna's form shudders as her eyes widen in disbelief. "One hundred and four? No... how could I not have known? I..."
Her voice falters, the realization hitting her like a tidal wave. "Hiroto, we have to stop this. But not like this. There has to be another way."
I don't respond, my mind already made up. I glance across the playground. "See that man sitting on the bench? He's violated 18 girls. He's waiting for his next victim."
Anna's form trembles, her ethereal hands clenching. "Hiroto, no. This... this can't be happening again. But we can't just... you can't become the monster."
I nod toward the man. "Watch him. He has a gun in his bag, along with a list of the girls he's violated. He's waiting for one to pass by."
Anna's spirit flickers violently. "Hiroto, please. We can alert the authorities! We can warn others. There has to be another way to stop him."
I shake my head. "Start counting from ten."
Anna's ghostly form flickers as she hesitates, her eyes filled with fear and desperation. But she starts counting, her voice trembling.
"Ten... nine... eight..."
Her gaze remains fixed on the man sitting on the bench, watching his every move as her form flickers nervously.
"Seven... six... five..."
The tension in the air is palpable. I can feel my heart racing, the weight of what's about to happen pressing down on me.
"Four... three... two..."
Anna's voice grows softer, pleading for a different outcome, but she knows what's coming.
"One..."
As soon as she says the last word, the man stands up. A sharp, deafening BANG echoes across the playground. He crumples to the ground, lifeless, blood pooling beneath him. I lower my hand, fingers mimicking the shape of a gun, a cold smirk spreading across my face.
Anna recoils in horror, her translucent body trembling. "Hiroto! What have you done?"
I look over at her calmly. "I did what was necessary."
Her ghostly form flickers violently, her voice shaking with anguish. "This isn't justice... it's murder! You've become the very thing you swore to fight against!"
I shake my head slowly, my gaze cold and unfeeling. "He was a monster, Anna. Monsters don't deserve to live."
Anna hovers near me, her hands trembling as she tries to reach out but knows she can't stop me. "But what if you were wrong, Hiroto? What if—"
"I wasn't wrong," I say flatly. "The proof is in his bag. The gun, the list—it's all there. The authorities will see it when they arrive."
Anna trembles as her eyes fill with tears. "Hiroto... you're losing yourself. The Hiroto I loved would never do something like this."
I glance at her briefly, then turn to walk away. "No one else can see you, right? Stay here. Guide the authorities when they come. I'll be going."
Anna's form flickers again, her voice pleading and desperate. "Please, Hiroto... don't walk away from me. Don't go down this path..."
I keep walking, not looking back. "I'll be back soon."
The next day, I return to the playground. Police tape surrounds the area where the man's body was found. As I pass by, I see officers rummaging through his belongings, their faces pale as they pull out the gun and the list of names. Just as I told Anna, the proof was all there.
I walk past the authorities, my expression calm and indifferent, and sit back down on the swing. Moments later, Anna's ghostly figure reappears beside me, her form trembling with sorrow and confusion.
"Hiroto..." she whispers. "Was I wrong?"
I don't meet her gaze. "No. You were right. The proof was there."
Anna's spectral form flickers, her voice filled with a mix of guilt and uncertainty. "Then why... why does this feel so wrong? Why does this weigh so heavily on me?"
I stare at the ground, my voice distant. "So, can I say I saved a girl yesterday?"
Anna's ghostly form flickers again, her translucent features filled with sadness and a hint of reluctant pride. "Yes, Hiroto. In a way... you did save her. And maybe others too. But... the cost, Hiroto... the cost is so high."
Tears well up in my eyes as I finally meet her gaze. "I was never your protector, Anna. If I had been, I would've saved you that day."
Her form flickers as she shakes her head, her voice filled with sorrow. "Hiroto... you couldn't have saved me that day. You were just a boy, and that man... he was a monster. You can't blame yourself for that."
I clench my fists, frustration boiling over. "He wasn't a man. A real man would never violate a woman. He was a monster... and now I'm the murderer who kills these monsters."
Anna's ghostly eyes widen with fear. "No, Hiroto... you're not a murderer. You're trying to protect others, but this... this path is changing you. You're becoming someone I don't recognize."
I wipe the blood off my hands, staring down at them. "Yesterday would've been the last time I killed someone."
A glimmer of hope flashes in Anna's eyes. "The last time? Oh, Hiroto... you've decided to stop?"
I shake my head slowly, a grim smile forming on my lips. "No. I meant that from now on, I won't give them an easy death. I'll make them suffer. I'll torture them until they beg for death. Then I'll give them the most brutal end imaginable—so brutal that even death itself will fear me."
Anna recoils in horror, her spectral hands flying to her mouth. "No, Hiroto! You can't do this! This isn't justice, it's... it's vengeance! You'll become the very monster you're fighting against!"
I stare at her, my resolve hardening. "There's a saying: you counter a needle with a needle, a knife with a knife, and a sword with a sword."
Anna's form flickers, her blue eyes filled with sorrow. "That saying doesn't have to define you, Hiroto. Fighting darkness with darkness will only lead to more pain, more suffering. You can't let it consume you."
Tears begin to form in my eyes, but I quickly wipe them away. "Do you know what the police wrote in their report about the man I killed yesterday? They said he killed himself. They didn't even investigate it properly. How can I trust them to take care of people like him? No matter how much this burdens me, how much I lose myself... I will continue on this path."
Months pass...
I become a shadow—a feared vigilante known as "The Shadow Reaper." My name is whispered in hushed tones, a blend of fear and reverence. I have learned to navigate this dark path, targeting those who prey on the innocent. Each monster I find is dragged into my world of torment, where I deliver my twisted form of justice.
Anna watches helplessly from the playground, her spectral form flickering with sorrow as she witnesses the depths to which I've fallen. She feels the weight of each life I take, the burden heavy on her heart.
One evening, after yet another brutal encounter, I wipe the blood from my hands, feeling the grim satisfaction wash over me. But it's short-lived. Anna appears, her ghostly figure shimmering as she floats beside me.
"Hiroto... how many have you killed?" she asks, her voice a haunting whisper filled with concern.
I look at her, my eyes dull and void of life. "Too many to count."
Anna's form flickers with emotion, her translucent features twisted in despair. "Each death weighs on me too. This isn't justice anymore; it's vengeance. And it's consuming you."
I brush my hands together, trying to remove the last remnants of the fight. "You're right. The burden of these murders is heavier than I ever expected."
Anna gazes at me, her voice trembling. "You don't have to carry this alone anymore. I'm here. I'll always be here. Let me help you find a way to stop this. A way forward that doesn't involve more death and pain."
I shake my head, feeling resolute. "I will stop killing... but not yet. I want them to fear me—so much that if anyone even thinks of hurting a girl, they will remember the Shadow Reaper. Only then will I stop."
Anna's eyes shimmer with tears, her voice filled with sadness. "So you want them to fear you, Hiroto? Is that what you truly want? To be a symbol of terror?"
I nod. "I want them to fear even looking at girls with lustful eyes."
Anna's form flickers, her features contorting with a mix of sadness and understanding. "Hiroto, I know you want to protect others and stop the evil that took me away. But fear... it's a double-edged sword. It might deter some, but it could also breed more darkness and violence."
I can see the concern in her eyes, but it's buried beneath my resolve. "Tomorrow will be the last day."
The following day, I prepare for my final mission. It's time to end it all. I set up a live stream, my camera capturing my dark silhouette as I stand in a dimly lit room. Anna, unaware of what I'm doing, remains at the playground, waiting for me with hope flickering in her heart.
I begin my broadcast, my voice cold and resolute. "Hello, everyone. I am The Shadow Reaper, the vigilante who kills those who prey on girls. Today marks my final mission, and with it, I will reveal who I truly am."
I switch the camera to a man tied up in chains, battered and bruised beyond recognition. His face is swollen, his body trembling in pain. "This is the last soul I will take," I announce, my tone devoid of any emotion. "This man has committed 30 rapes. Seventy-nine rapes and murders altogether. He did it all in front of the victims' families, causing them to commit suicide, pushing the number of lives destroyed to exactly 305."
I move closer to the camera, my fingers reaching up to my mask. With one fluid motion, I remove it, revealing my face to the world. "I am Hiroto Hiro."
A stunned silence falls over the live audience as I step toward the man in chains. "This man is also the President's son," I say darkly.
The tension in the air is palpable. I move with purpose, my every action deliberate as I begin torturing him. I punch him in the gut, kick him in the groin, and pull out a pair of pliers. Slowly, methodically, I pull off his fingers and toes. He screams, begging for death, but I'm not done. I pluck out his eyes, rendering him blind and helpless. I even cut his tongue to make him speechless. His voice, once filled with arrogance, now drips with desperation.
"Now you want to die, don't you?" I say coldly. He nods frantically, barely able to speak. I force poison down his throat. "This poison will destroy every nerve in your body, making you feel pain five times worse than my torture."
I pause, gazing into the camera. "I am the Dark Reaper. Fear me. Fear that if you even look at a girl with lustful eyes, I will find you, and you will be tormented to death."
Then, in a shocking twist, I drink the same poison. "Before the poison takes effect, I want you all to know—if I alone can do this much, imagine what we could all do together. Stop the rapes, stop the abuse of girls."
I end the live stream, the world watching in stunned silence. The poison starts to take effect, but the agony doesn't bother me. My mind drifts back to Anna. I had promised her I would return.
At the playground, Anna paces anxiously, her ghostly form flickering in and out of existence. Hours pass, and she grows more and more fearful. "Hiroto... where are you?" she whispers into the foggy night.
Suddenly, she spots me in the distance, walking toward her. Relief floods her as she notices the difference in my eyes—the darkness is gone. She rushes to meet me, her translucent hands trembling with hope. As I draw closer, her eyes widen in realization.
"You're not the Dark Reaper anymore... You're my Hiroto, the one I loved," she whispers, tears glistening in her ethereal eyes.
For the first time, she reaches out—and her hand doesn't pass through me. Her ghostly fingers rest against my skin, the touch soft but real. She gasps in astonishment, her form trembling with joy and disbelief.
"You can touch me," she says, her voice quivering. "Oh, Hiroto... it's really you. After all this time, we can be together again, even if just for a moment."
She wraps her arms around me in a ghostly embrace, her translucent form pressed against me. Tears well in her eyes as she savors the feeling of my warmth. "How... how did this happen? Why now?"
I smile weakly, a sad truth settling in. "Because, Anna... I'm dead."
Anna freezes, her grip on me tightening as the realization hits her. "No... no. You're dead?" Her voice is filled with disbelief and sorrow. "But why? What happened?"
I shake my head, my smile fading. "The gods have cursed me. I can't go to Heaven or Hell. I'm doomed to remain in this world, invisible to the living. But they sent me with a message for you."
Anna's eyes widen, her ghostly form flickering. "What message?"
"You're free now," I say softly. "You can go to Heaven."
Tears stream down Anna's cheeks as she gazes at me in shock. "No... I won't leave you. Not after everything. If you're cursed to stay here, then I'll stay too. I can't bear the thought of leaving you again."
I gently brush a tear from her cheek, my voice full of love. "The world gave you enough pain, Anna. It violated you, killed you, and then made you watch me fall into darkness. You don't belong here anymore. Please, go. Be at peace."
Anna's eyes lock onto mine, her heart breaking at the thought of leaving me behind. "My paradise is wherever you are, Hiroto. I don't want to go to Heaven if it means leaving you alone."
I pull her close, tears of my own falling. "Thank you... thank you for waiting for me. For being the shoulder I cried on, for being my love. I kept you waiting for so long. But now, you're free. You don't have to stay in this playground anymore."
Anna gazes up at me, her heart aching. "But we can leave together... can't we?"
I nod slowly. "Yes. Let's leave together."
Hand in hand, we walk away from the playground, leaving behind the pain and sorrow that once haunted our lives. Together, we step into the unknown, our souls intertwined for eternity.
Anna's voice, soft and full of love, whispers in my ear, "We'll be together... forever."
I smile, finally at peace, as I take my first step into the afterlife, knowing that whatever eternity brings, we will face it together.
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