The afternoon light filtering through the window was soft, almost soothing, but in Ryan's room, a heavy, stifling atmosphere prevailed. He sat on his bed, head down, his thoughts swirling in a whirlpool of uncertainty and disappointment. His eyes, red from tears, stared at the floor without truly seeing it. Each beat of his heart seemed to resonate with the same pain: a cruel failure.
Outside his bedroom door, Rayna stood hesitantly. She knew her brother was broken, but she had never wanted to see him like this. She had never wished for him to go through such suffering. Yet, it seemed destiny had forced him to face this pain.
She gently placed her hand on the door, her heart tightening. She knew her words wouldn't instantly mend Ryan's wounds, but she had to try.
"Ryan, open up, it's me, Rayna," she said softly, her voice filled with care.
There was a long silence, then a nearly inaudible murmur.
"I don't want to talk to you."
Rayna closed her eyes, her heart breaking just a little more. She had watched her brother grow, fight, dream. But today, she saw him drowning under the weight of his own disappointment. She cleared her throat and spoke in a more assured tone.
"You know, this isn't the end of the world. Just because you didn't get what you wanted today doesn't mean your life is over. You still have so much to offer."
Ryan turned his head towards the door but didn't respond. He knew his sister was doing her best to comfort him, but nothing could erase what he felt in that moment. The weight of humiliation still gnawed at him, and Jared's words echoed in his mind like an unrelenting echo.
"Rayna... You don't understand," he said, his voice trembling. "I'm nothing. Just an Awakened, powerless. I've failed. How can you still tell me that I'm capable of something? I am... I am a failure."
Rayna felt a pang of pain in her chest, but she refused to give in to sadness. She knew her brother wasn't a failure, that this emptiness overwhelming him was just a phase, a trial to get through. She took a deep breath and turned towards the door.
"Ryan, look at me," she said firmly, yet with gentleness in her voice. "An Awakened's power isn't just measured by their rank. You are so much more than that. You have an inner strength that few people can understand. You've survived so much already—the loss of our parents, battles others could never have faced."
Ryan shuddered at the mention of their past. He knew his sister was right. Life had never spared him, but he had always hoped his power would one day be his chance at redemption. But now, that dream seemed shattered.
"I don't have a dream anymore, Rayna. That was all I had left. And now, there's nothing. What is a man without a dream?"
Rayna listened to her brother with a newfound gravity. She felt powerless, but she knew this wasn't the first time he'd felt this way. After all, she had seen him rise after much harder trials than this one. If anyone could help him weather this storm, it was himself.
"Ryan... Sometimes, life isn't just about what we expect from it. We have to accept what comes, even if it seems unfair. But that doesn't define who we are. You're not a failure. You're my brother, and you've always been someone brave. It's not your rank that determines your worth."
She paused for a moment, her breath calming.
"Maybe you don't have the power you were hoping for, but you have something else. And do you know what that is? You have Luna. She loves you, Ryan. She loves you for who you are, not for what you might become."
A heavy silence fell after these words. Ryan slowly stood up, a glimmer of hope crossing his eyes, but he almost immediately dismissed it. Luna, he had almost forgotten. Luna, who loved him despite everything, who didn't care about his rank. He bit his lower lip, the pain mingling with a fragile sense of comfort.
"Luna..." he murmured. "She doesn't need me, Rayna. She deserves someone stronger, someone who can protect her."
Rayna shook her head, her gaze hardening slightly.
"Don't rob yourself of what you have, Ryan. Luna loves you. And you know what? She needs you, just as much as you need her. Go see her. Maybe she'll give you the strength to find your own path again."
Ryan remained silent for a moment, his thoughts swirling in his head. Then, slowly, he walked towards the door. He placed his hand on the handle, his heart beating faster, not from fear, but from a flicker of hope he hadn't felt in a long time.
He turned the handle and opened the door, finding in Rayna's gaze an unwavering support.
"Okay... I'll go see her."
Rayna smiled at him, a warm and understanding smile.
"Good. And don't forget, no matter what happens, I'll always be here for you."
Ryan nodded, a faint smile appearing on his tired face. Maybe it wasn't the end of the world after all.
Ryan walked slowly along the sidewalk, his mind still heavy from the conversation with his sister. His steps were mechanical, as though he were walking through a dream. Cars sped past him, engines roaring, drivers honking in impatience. People came and went, some smiling, others lost in their thoughts. The world around him seemed to keep turning normally, but for Ryan, everything felt frozen. Each step he took led him to a reality he hadn't yet fully accepted.
He turned the corner of a street, entering a narrow alley between two buildings. The noise of passersby gradually faded, replaced by a heavy silence. At that exact moment, a silent cry rose in his heart, an unanswered question bubbling in his gut. Why did this have to happen to him?
As he continued walking, a dull sound caught his attention. Looking up, he saw, in the shadow of the alley, a familiar silhouette. He froze instantly. There, just a few meters away from him, in a scene that made his certainty waver, were Jared and Luna, kissing passionately.
Ryan didn't even have time to think before his instinct took over. He rushed forward, calling Luna, his heart tightening in his chest.
"Luna!" he shouted, his voice broken but strong.
Luna, startled, quickly turned her head, her eyes meeting Ryan's. Jared followed her gaze, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. Luna slowly detached herself from Jared, her face displaying an expression of contempt.
"What are you doing here, you, an F-rank?" she said coldly. "Someone like you doesn't have the right to call me by my name."
The words struck Ryan like a bell of iron, echoing painfully in his mind. A part of him hoped, had hoped still, that it was all a misunderstanding, that Luna had been tricked by mistake. But what he heard, what he saw, only crushed that faint hope like a heavy foot on a fragile flower.
Ryan didn't answer immediately. He stood there, unable to react. His eyes lost focus, his heart empty, a chasm of emptiness opening inside him. The world around him became blurry, as though everything had faded under the pressure of the revelation. How could he have been so naïve? He suddenly felt smaller, more insignificant than ever. His shoulders sagged under the weight of a sadness so deep that he didn't even have the strength to cry. He lowered his head, his gaze devoid of emotion, like a soulless automaton.
Jared, on the other hand, savored the spectacle. He slowly stepped toward Ryan, a mocking grin on his face. He stopped in front of him, arms crossed, amused by the scene he had just caused.
"Don't worry, Ryan," Jared said, bursting into laughter. "It's not your fault. It's Luna who fell in love with me, the Jared you despised. You know, it's funny how easily you got caught in the trap. She's always seen you as nothing."
Ryan didn't have the strength to respond. He was nothing but an empty shell, his mind stuck in confusion and pain. Jared's words echoed inside him, but there was no anger, no hatred, just an unbearable void.
Luna, embarrassed by the intensity of the situation, slightly turned her gaze away and muttered:
"I think it was love at first sight, Ryan. I... I'm sorry."
That was it. Love at first sight. It wasn't Jared who had manipulated her, it wasn't a premeditated betrayal. It was just a simple accident, a surge of passion. Nothing more. But for Ryan, those words were like a final stab to the heart. If Luna had truly felt that, then there was nothing left for him. He was no more than a shadow in the story they were both writing, a shadow erased.
Before Ryan could process it all, a fireball suddenly appeared, speeding toward him. He had no time to react. The intense heat of the attack struck him head-on, igniting his body and tearing through his skin. He felt the pain flood him, but something strange happened. His senses, numbed by sadness and helplessness, barely reacted. There was no scream, no sharp pain. Just an emptiness. An abyssal void that swallowed everything.
He collapsed to the ground, his body covered in scars, skin burned and shredded, but he felt no pain. His eyes remained empty, as though he were already dead inside.
Jared, still amused by the situation, leaned over him, openly mocking Ryan's silent suffering. He leaned in closer, like a predator over its prey, and began to beat him, humiliate him. Each blow that struck Ryan didn't seem to reach him. There was no more pain in his body, nor in his heart. Only silence and absence. Nothing touched him. Nothing mattered.
"You're nothing, Ryan," Jared said coldly, kicking him in the stomach. "You've always been less than a man, a man with no future. This is where you belong. A failure among many others."
Ryan didn't respond. He was like a statue, motionless, empty. His eyes didn't even lift to meet Jared's. There was nothing to say, nothing left to do. What he felt could no longer be expressed, because everything he had been had just been destroyed, trampled under the blows of those he had loved and respected.
The world around him was fading, and Ryan, alone and broken, let himself fall into the darkness that slowly engulfed him.