Amid the silence of the night, an echo of footsteps broke the stillness. A boy was struggling through a dark alley.

His breathing was heavy, each inhale burned his lungs, while the frantic beat of his heart pounded in his chest.

He felt the cold wrapping around his body, numbing his skin. Suddenly, a few drops of water began to fall, and soon, rain descended from the black sky.

His steps grew clumsier. When he lost his balance, he collapsed against a nearby wall. He was alone. His blurry vision only confirmed what he already knew: he couldn't go any further.

His body trembled. His legs and arms gave out, and finally, he fell to the ground as pain coursed through him.

『Boy: Agh!』

His mind was a whirlwind. For a moment, he wished he couldn't feel anything. He wanted to escape the agony consuming him. But the pain kept him awake, tethered to his misery.

『Boy: «I think… I'm no longer a wretch.» 』

He tried to push himself up, his hands pressing against the ground, but the pain was too much. He fell again. Exhausted, he gave up and simply stared at the ground, unable to do anything more.

『Boy: «I was lucky to have met you… without you, I wouldn't have accomplished anything. I'm… grateful.» 』

A faint smile appeared on his face as he recalled happy moments, but it soon faded. The sweet memory turned bitter as he looked at his bloodstained hands.

The pain began to fade, replaced by a cold emptiness. A metallic taste filled his mouth as blood slowly spilled out. The memories flashed through his mind, fleeting and blurry, like shadows.

He knew there was nothing more he could do. His body betrayed him. His strength was leaving him, and the world around him was growing darker.

His eyelids felt as heavy as lead. The cold seeped into his very soul, while his heart, growing weaker by the moment, slowly gave in.

『Boy: «I don't want to die… I can't die.» 』

The thought emerged with desperation. He wanted to fight, to reject this inevitable fate.

The rain intensified, as if the sky was crying with him. The first tears fell, mingling with the raindrops, a blend of sorrow and resignation.

In his mind, he heard a voice, distant and faint. He murmured his last words before surrendering.

『Boy: «If we could start over… I wouldn't let you go. I'm so sorry.» 』

The sound of rain hitting the ground echoed within him. His pupils darkened completely as his senses faded. Instinct screamed that death was near.

With his last breath, the only thing he heard was an incomprehensible voice, a vague promise he couldn't decipher.

A fleeting hope lingered in his heart, but when the light in his eyes finally dimmed, something changed.

That night, only the light of the moon watched over him.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

『???: «My head hurts... What happened to me?» 』

A boy with black hair and dark eyes lay in the middle of a dirty, old street, surrounded by several houses.

『Neizan: «I don't have the wounds I had before?» 』

The boy inspected his shoulders, abdomen, legs, and arms, making sure everything was in place and he felt no pain.

『Neizan: «I don't understand... How is this possible?» 』

He struggled to remember what had happened earlier, but setting aside his confusion, he began walking down the street, noticing the changes around him.

『Neizan: «This isn't how I remember it. Where am I supposed to be now?» 』

His uncertainty was interrupted by a rough voice directed at him.

『???: Hey, kid, what the hell are you doing around here? 』

The voice belonged to a man with a deep voice, accompanied by two younger-looking boys.

The boy observed them carefully with a cold, serious gaze, inspecting each one.

The first was an adult man, probably over 20 years old, standing between 185 and 190 cm tall. He had a large build, likely weighing over 100 kg, with signs of obesity in his arms and abdomen.

The second was a young man, maybe between 17 and 20 years old, shorter and slimmer than the first, with a height of 180 to 185 cm and a weight of no more than 80 kg.

The last one was a teenager.

The shorter and thinner one was less than 175 cm tall and probably weighed less than 60 kg. His clothes were quite old, made of coarse fabric, giving the impression that he came from a humble village or a poor neighborhood.

『Man: What are you doing standing there staring at us? Can't you get a clue or what? 』

『Teenager: Hahaha! Look at those bags under his eyes, he looks like a dead man. 』

『Neizan: ... 』

『Adult: Tsk. It really annoys me when people stare at me and stay silent without saying a word. 』

『Teenager: Oh man, you've pissed Mateo off. Now you've really screwed up. Hahaha! 』

As the three people approached, the first to touch the boy, who was still standing quietly, was the smallest one, about the same height as him.

Confidently, he put a hand on the boy's shoulder while pulling out a knife with the other, pressing it against his abdomen and saying:

『Teenager: Look, how about you give us everything you've got? Relax, just hand it over and we'll let you go. 』

As soon as he said those words, the boy grabbed his arm firmly with both hands and, with a swift movement, forced him to drop the knife before he could react.

Once the knife fell to the ground, the boy punched him hard in the face, causing the teenager to fall, half-unconscious.

『Mateo: You son of a bitch! 』

As the large man quickly approached, the boy stepped back, dodging the punch aimed at his face. As Mateo spun around to attack again, suddenly there was a loud sound:

『???: BANG! 』

『Mateo: AAAAAH! DAMN IT! 』

The man was now lying on the ground, writhing in pain and screaming.

The other man, still standing and shocked to see his two companions on the ground, looked on in horror.

『Man: Hey man, we don't want any trouble... 』

『Neizan: Come on, get closer. 』

『Man: No, please, no. 』

『Neizan: Relax, just give me your hand and I'll let you go. 』

『Man: But... 』

The man saw the boy's completely expressionless and cold face, which made it clear that he had to do what he was told if he didn't want to end up like his companions. So, he approached, extended his hand, and suddenly...

『Man: AAAAAAAH! 』

The boy had pulled a knife from his jacket and stabbed it into the extended hand, driving the blade all the way through so that it stuck out the other side of the palm.

He then pulled the knife out, leaving a pool of blood on the ground. The man, now with both hands covered in blood from the intense pain, looked at him in terror. His face twisted in fear, and he turned and ran for his life.

Neizan watched him for a moment, letting him go without saying a word, before turning his gaze to the man lying on the ground, bleeding from a hole in his leg caused by a gunshot.

Calmly, the boy pulled out a cloth from his jacket and wiped the blood from the knife delicately, leaving it clean and shiny. He tossed the now blood-stained cloth aside and put the knife back into one of the inner pockets of his jacket.

He then approached the wounded man again and stared into his eyes as he crouched down. Grabbing him by the hair, he lifted the man's head off the ground and said:

『Neizan: What was it you said earlier? 』

『Mateo: I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, forgive me! I won't say anything! 』

『Neizan: Oh, right... Now I remember. 』

The boy pressed the gun he was holding against the man's forehead. Upon seeing this, the man began to cry, pleading for his life, while the boy stared at him with a cold, unwavering gaze.

『Neizan: I asked you a question... What did you say earlier? Why aren't you answering me? 』

『Mateo: I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything, please, no...! 』

The deafening sound of a gunshot cut off his words. The man died instantly, with the bullet lodged in his head.

Only then did the boy calmly holster his weapon, as if nothing had happened, and begin to walk away from the scene. As he walked, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, opened it with smooth movements, and placed one between his lips, letting out a sigh of relief. With his other hand, he lit the cigarette using a lighter he had taken from his pocket, his gaze lost in the air as the flame briefly illuminated his face.

『Neizan: Sniff... ufff. 』

Blowing out a cloud of smoke, the boy disappeared into the streets. From another angle, the man could be seen lying on the ground, blood spilling from his forehead, his eyes wide open, lifeless.