Mario wakes up on a bed in a well-furnished room with beautiful paintings on the walls. His vision is blurry at first but it becomes clear after a while.
Mario: My head hurts. I guess I had a nightmare. Did I sleep on the train? Am I at Mrs. May's apartment?
Mario attempts to sit up but he fails.
Mario: What's wrong?
He attempts to sit up but fails again. He looks at his left arm and then his right arm and becomes sad as he stares at the ceiling.
Mario: So it wasn't a nightmare.
A neatly dressed young man enters the room and sits beside the bed.
Dr. Ben: I see you're awake. How are you feeling?
Mario gives a sad look.
Dr. Ben: In truth, I'm glad you're alive. I can't begin to imagine what you went through. I know it's hard but you're going to have to be strong. I can only answer one of the immeasurable questions you have to ask. You were brought here by Toro. You'd lost a considerable amount of blood, but I did my best to salvage the situation. I have something for the pain. Everything will be all right.
A 6'7 foot tall young man enters the room with his entire body covered in clothing. He wears a beautifully designed mask and he stands beside Dr. Ben.
Dr. Ben: Right in time, Toro. He's awake.
Toro: I see. What's your name, boy?
Dr. Ben: (to Toro) I'll leave him to you. I have to attend to urgent business.
Dr. Ben leaves.
Mario just keeps staring at the wall without answering Toro's question. Toro sighs as he moves closer to Mario.
Toro: I'm not the type to give encouraging speeches. Your right arm is gone but you're alive. You should be thankful.
Mario's eyes open wide as he begins to visualize what had happened.
Mario: That thing... It ate my arm. It ate every other person on that train. Bullets didn't even kill it... how? How did you manage to defeat it unscathed?
Toro answers quickly without thinking hard.
Toro: Simple. It's either because I'm strong or because it was weak.
Toro's words strike Mario. He takes a look at Toro in amazement.
Mario: Just who in the world are you?
Toro gives another swift answer without trying.
Toro: Just a guy with a strong sense of justice.
REIN TOWN, FIVE MINUTES BEFORE MARIO LOSES HIS ARM
Toro sits on a tree with his entire body covered in clothing.
Toro: The ghost town of Rein. The fresh air, the wonderful beauty of nature, and most importantly, the absence of people. The perfect paradise for a man like me.
He pauses and raises his guard.
Toro: This aura. There's a demon here. Fifty kilometers to the northeast. Tch! Today's supposed to be my day off.
Toro heads northeast, towards the direction of the demon he sensed.
As Mario's eyes begin to shut, Toro arrives at the scene.
Purple becomes disgusted at the sight of Toro.
Purple: (To Toro) Get away from here. I'm not interested in you. You old folks always get in my way.
Toro: Seems like you've had a feast. Gluttony isn't proper. Step away from the kid.
Purple: Oh? I guess I'll just kill you and use your bitter skin for dessert.
Toro: Threatening isn't proper either.
Toro removes his right glove.
Toro: I despise your kind.
Toro appears behind Purple in a split second before Purple could even react and touches his head.
Toro: Hunt step, destructive touch. Perish.
Purple: This aura... you're a hunter!
In his moment of realization, Purple blows to smithereens. Toro looks at Mario.
Toro: He lost his arm before I could get to him. That's just sad.
Toro's senses sharpen again, as he swiftly moves away from Mario.
Toro: That's strange. I sensed a strong intent to kill from this boy just now. Something's off about him.
Toro puts on his glove and carries Mario carefully on his shoulders.
PRESENT TIME
Mario: Thank you very much for saving my life, Mr. Toro.
Toro: Wait. It should be on now.
Toro puts on the TV.
TV reporter: ...A very dark day in Malvay's history indeed as videos rolling in portray the horrific sight at the fishing town of Iceberg where all the inhabitants were wiped out by what seems to be a terrorist attack. The royal house has declared a curfew as security specialists continue to investigate the incident. Another incident which may be related to the massacre is the attack of a train headed to the town. Notable individuals who lost their lives in the incident include the wife of lord Phil of house Mok, little lord Finn of house Frogan, and the lesser twin of late lord Mato, Mario Cadel...
Mario breaks down in tears.
Mario: Why? Why do bad things keep happening to me?
Toro: Life is like Baseball. You can't be the pitcher and the batter at the same time. The batter has to hit whatever the pitcher throws. Take whatever life throws at you and hit it. Hit it hard! This world is full of secrets and darkness. That's all I can tell you.
Mario: What was that thing? Was it really a monster?
Toro: I'm afraid I cannot tell you that. We've tried resetting your memory, but for some reason, it just won't work. I have no choice but to let you go with your memory untouched.
Mario: I don't know what you mean by all of that, but in the movies I've seen, whenever something like this happens, the person is killed to silence him.
Toro gives Mario a tissue. Mario wipes his tears.
Toro: You've never seen me in your movies. Killing you would mean saying that your existence poses a threat to me. Besides, a one-handed teenager who has no family and is considered dead can't exactly do much, can he? No one would believe you even if you told them what you saw. You'd just get yourself locked up in a hospital for the rest of your life. Get yourself together and go. You'll get a cab right across the street.
Mario: How can I repay you for this?
Toro: Simple. By living a proper life.
Toro gives Mario some money and leaves the room.
Mario struggles to sit up but eventually leaves the building. He crosses the road, stops a cab, and enters it.
Driver: Where you headed?
Mario: Drive down the road.
Driver: That's not a place.
Mario: Mole's street. Is that okay?
Driver: Yes.
The cab stops at Mole's street. Mario pays the fare and begins to walk aimlessly as he ponders on everything Toro told him.
Mario: Hitting hard, was it?
Mario avoids the popular routes and goes to a small shop. He buys a hoodie and face mask with the money Toro gave him. Mario wears the hoodie and the mask to hide his face.
Time passed rapidly, and Mario ended up spending the night at an abandoned park. At midnight, some men attack Mario. They beat him up and take his money. Consequently, Mario becomes compelled to starve. Toro's words were the only thing he kept saying to himself.
Mario: Hit hard. I have to hit hard.
For Mario, Toro's words were his only reason to live. Mario was never the kind to ask for help. His father hammered the concept of self-reliance and self-sufficiency in him from his childhood days. After the fourth day, Mario collapsed.
A little girl (Ella) walking with her mother (Kelly) sees Mario and alerts her mother. She takes Mario home and cleans his bruises. After gaining consciousness, Mario thanks her and asks if he could leave.
Mario: I'm very grateful, ma'am. I have no way of repaying you for your kindness. I'll never forget it. I'm feeling better, and I'm about to leave.
Kelly: Where would you go? It's obvious that you're homeless.
Mario: I'll find a way.
Kelly: Stay.
Mario looks at her in shock.
Kelly: If you want to repay me, then stay. It's not safe for a teenager like you to roam around alone on the streets. You might get attacked again.
Mario: I cannot bear being a burden to you.
Kelly: Please stay, Jonathan.
Mario: Jonathan?
Kelly bursts into tears.
When Kelly finally calmed down, she explained to Mario how her son (Jonathan) died in a fatal accident and how it traumatized Ella. On hearing the story, Mario couldn't leave. He narrated his sad story in return, and Kelly also took pity on him. He thought for a moment that he might have finally gotten a chance at a better life. He began to answer to Jonathan as his name. Being the lesser twin meant that Mario would be skillful and capable of completing most domestic chores. He was also less popular than his brother, Lukas, as fewer people had actually seen him. After about a month, all seemed to be going well for Mario once more. He hit hard at life and succeeded. That is, until he received a reminder from his "old life".
Mario went home after running an errand one day and lost everything once more.
Mario opens the door and sees Kelly on the floor covered in blood. She is badly injured and she is holding the lifeless body of Ella in her arms. Mario hurries over to her side. He is shaking and finding it difficult to breathe.
Mario: Mother!
Kelly struggles to speak as tears roll down her cheeks.
Kelly: You... It came because of you... Ella is dead because of you... We were trying hard to cope with our grief until you came along... I can see why your father left you...
Kelly coughs out blood, and Mario attempts to hold her, but she resists.
Kelly: Don't touch me, Jonathan... No, you're not Jonathan. Jonathan died some years ago. You're a boy who spreads pain and suffering. Death follows you wherever you go. That's why your father left you... You're not a monster, you're the devil himself.
Mario begins to cry.
Mario: Mother, let me help you. Please...
Kelly: I'd rather die than take another look at you. Why don't you hurry up and do the world some good. That's right, do the world some good by dying. No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to change from what you are... Mario Cadel, the vector agent of pain and destruction. I almost feel pity for you. I'll join my children in death soon... But you... You, you will harbor the burden of holding dead bodies wherever you go. You really are a... cursed child.
Mario's eyes open wide, as his eyeballs begin to shake as if they'd fall out of their sockets anytime soon.
Mario: Mother...
Kelly's eyes go cold as she becomes lifeless, causing Mario to scream in agony, laying down next to her.
Kelly's last words begin to flow into Mario's mind rapidly, and he puts his hand on his neck and attempts to strangle himself with only one word on his tongue.
Mario: Die. Die. Die. Die. Die...
His left hand was not enough to get a "good enough" grip. He walks to the kitchen and takes a knife. He places the knife on his neck, his hand shaking and his eyes covered in tears. Mario prepares to slit his own throat. He cut it totally... no, not his throat. What Mario had cut down was his whiny character. His role of always playing the victim. Mario decided to take the reins of his life and steer it according to his own will. He said to himself, "never again will I fall a victim to life's terror". In that dire situation, Mario found a new purpose to live for. He had not only realized how unreliable the security agencies in Malvay were but also how unreliable Toro was. He lost an arm last time, but Toro saved him, but this time, there was no "Toro". He remembered the foundation of house Daline's principles. "Self-reliance is the key". His late father would whisper that into his ears every night before he went to bed. In what would probably be the darkest hour in his life, Mario found his purpose, and in that moment, he laughed. Mario wasn't laughing at Kelly or Ella, neither was he laughing at himself nor Toro or even Malvay. Mario laughed at life for attempting to take him down with such a blow. By some people's judgment, Mario was going nuts, but from his perspective, he was being himself or rather, what he should have been from the start.
Mario buries Ella and Kelly next to Jonathan and gives his final farewells.
Mario: I'm sorry for trying to replace you, Jonathan. It should please you to know that I've failed totally. Ella, you shouldn't have looked at the park's direction that day... and Kelly, I may very well be the devil, so I promise to do what I know how to do best. From now on, I'll hold as many dead bodies as possible, but not those of the people I love. All children in the world can rest at ease now. I'll make sure that there's only one devil in the world, and that would be me.
The following day, Mario headed out for a stroll to regain some mental stability. In what seemed to be the work of the "red ribbon of fate", Mario found the men who attacked him the other night in a corner. They were drunk and obviously under the influence of drugs. They wanted to bully Mario again. Only except this time, the "one-handed boy" beat the living daylights out of three drunk men. Mario took their money and took a cab to the last place he'd ever want to go back to. No, to the last place his former self would ever want to go. It became the dream destination for this new Mario. Mario headed straight to the building where he woke up after losing his right arm. He knocks on the door, and Toro (still weirdly covering his entire body) answers the door. Toro just stared at Mario. Mario's eyes had become cold, and Mario broke the silence.
Mario: You once said, "it's either I'm strong or it was weak." I know for certain now. It's because you are strong. I want to be strong, too. This is my way of hitting hard at life. If I'm strong, then I can finally find peace.
Toro: Talking to an elder without greeting first isn't proper. I knew you were not a proper kid from the day I picked you from the ground. Are you sure you have enough reason to risk your life?
Mario answers Toro's question effortlessly.
Mario: There is no proper reason to risk one's life.
Toro: This kid... You're speaking the language of the gods.
Toro smiles behind his mask.
Toro: Come in, and don't do anything improper. We're leaving soon.
And so the journey begins, the start of an even darker path...