Once they were discharged from the hospital, the atmosphere at home was heavy, filled with a tension that no one could break. Kairos, once a bright and cheerful child whose laughter echoed through the house, had become a shadow of his former self. He spoke less, often retreating to his room immediately after meals or when his parents tried to engage him.
Damien and Lyra noticed the change almost immediately.
"Do you think it's because of the core?" Lyra asked one evening, worry etched on her face as she sat beside Damien in the living room.
Damien sighed deeply, running a hand through his graying hair. "Most likely. It's not easy for a child to lose something so precious. The core meant everything, a future of possibilities."
He shook his head. "But we can't let him drown in despair. We need to lift his spirits."
Lyra nodded with determination. The next day, she baked his favorite pastries, while Damien tried to engage him with stories from his younger days. But every attempt to cheer him up was met with the same response, a cold, distant gaze and a polite refusal.
"Leave me alone," Kairos muttered one evening when Lyra tried to coax him into a family card game.
Damien, standing at the doorway, frowned. "Kairos, we're just trying to help…."
"I said leave me alone!" Kairos snapped, his voice filled with a rare sharpness that stunned his parents into silence.
Lyra's eyes welled up with tears as Damien placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He just needs time," Damien whispered, though he wasn't entirely sure if he believed it himself.
Late at night, alone in the quiet of his room, Kairos lay on his bed, staring at the wooden beams of the ceiling. The night was eerily silent, except for the occasional rustle of leaves outside his window. Sleep had evaded him for days, but he didn't care. His mind was far too restless.
"How did it come to this?" he thought, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
His memories of his past life came flooding back, vivid and tormenting. He saw Elyria, his mother, her beautiful hair and kind smile that always reassured him, even in the darkest times. The image of her lifeless body burned in his mind like a curse he could never forget.
Then there was CiCi, his little sister with her playful giggles and endless energy. Her voice had once been his solace, but that too had been silenced forever when his father killed her. Her screams had haunted him even in death.
And finally, the betrayal, the cold, calculated actions of his stepbrothers, who had torn his life apart for power. They had pushed him into the River of Death without a second thought. The pain was nothing compared to the agony of betrayal, of watching those he trusted take everything from him.
"And now here I am," he thought bitterly, his gaze dark. "Reborn in this pathetic, powerless body. How am I supposed to fight back? How am I supposed to rebuild everything I've lost?"
Kairos turned to stare out of the window, his jaw tightening. He had no energy core, no special abilities. He was, as far as the world was concerned, useless.
"I need power," he thought, his determination growing with each passing moment. "Without it, I'm nothing. But how do I get it?"
The night dragged on as Kairos lay awake, his mind consumed by thoughts of revenge, of reclaiming what had been stolen from him in both lives. He had no plan yet, no resources, no allies, but he had resolve.
And resolve, he decided, was the first step.
The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting long shadows across the back of the house where Reo stood practicing with his newfound abilities. His movements were fluid, precise, each one punctuated by a crackling burst of energy. It was clear that he was reveling in his power, the energy core he had stolen coursing through him like a blazing inferno.
Kairos stood at a distance, watching silently. His face showed no emotion, but deep within, anger and resentment churned like a storm. He hadn't intended to come across Reo, but seeing him so openly flaunt his stolen power was like salt on a fresh wound.
Reo noticed him almost immediately. He smirked, lowering his hands as a sphere of energy dissipated into the air. "Well, well," Reo began, his tone dripping with mockery. "If it isn't my dear little brother."
Kairos remained silent, his fists clenching at his sides.
Reo tilted his head, his smirk widening. "How does it feel, brother? To be without an ability? To go from being special to being… nothing." He chuckled, the sound cold and cruel. "It must be devastating, right?"
Kairos' jaw tightened, but he refused to respond. He wouldn't give Reo the satisfaction of seeing his pain.
Reo began to circle him like a predator stalking its prey, his taunts growing sharper. "You had it all, didn't you? The family's pride, the future full of possibilities. And now… now you're just useless." He leaned closer, his voice a whisper. "Even Mother looks at you differently now, doesn't she? Like you're a disappointment."
Kairos took a deep breath, willing himself to stay calm. But every word felt like a dagger, twisting deeper into his chest.
When Reo realized he wasn't getting the reaction he wanted, his smirk faltered, replaced by a scowl. "What's wrong, little brother? Cat got your tongue?" He stepped closer, his voice rising. "When I talk to you, you respond. I'm your elder brother!"
Kairos finally looked up, his gaze steady and defiant. "You wish," he said simply, his voice like ice.
Reo's face darkened with anger. "You insolent little…." His hand shot out, and a wave of pressure suddenly crashed down on Kairos' shoulders.
Kairos staggered, his knees buckling under the weight. The force was unbearable, pressing down on him like a mountain. He gritted his teeth, his legs trembling as he tried to resist. But the pressure only increased, forcing him to his knees.
A sharp pain shot through Kairos as his knees hit the rough ground, scraping against jagged stones. Blood seeped through his pants, staining the dirt beneath him.
Reo burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the backyard. "Look at you," he sneered, standing over Kairos like a king addressing a servant. "This is where you belong, below me. And you always will be."
Kairos lifted his head slightly, his face pale but his eyes burning with an unyielding fire. He said nothing, refusing to give Reo the satisfaction of his submission.
Reo's laughter faded, but his smirk remained. "Forever useless," he muttered, turning his back on Kairos.