Cachexia - V

Date: 08th of August, 2027

Time: ???

An open wide blue horizon spreads across the field of blue ocean ahead makes the day brighter than every other day.

The waves of thin clouds paints the sky beautifully.

The gentle sways of sunflowers on the fields ahead made this place even more beautiful when the weather is vibrantly clear.

It looks just like a painting of Van Gogh's Sunflowers for Paul Gauguin. The difference would be that the painting is with a vase, and this one is out on the open space under clear weather, near an open wide ocean, and very realistic for the year Niles was living in.

The sun rays never stop to cease whenever Niles looks up to the brightest sky, with his hand covering his view to see the ocean waves ahead.

Just like a bright prelude of some sort of crazy murderous story written by some famous writer in their eras.

"One, would be the Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's The Spider's Thread. Second would be the Dazai Osamu's No Longer Human. Third would be..." Niles mused in his head as he conversed with the wind to talk his thoughts about the current days he is living inside the Cormagrion's mansion. He just leans on the railings as he gaze to the ocean ahead, letting the doves sunbathe themselves now the weather is clear. Niles too, tried to empty his mind after reading few of the books he find top notched, twisted, and worthy of their eras.

"...maybe the third would be about my story." He just made fun of his own self as he enjoys the scenery ahead while laughing, trying to let go of whatever had happened in his life now he is sixteen and trying to grow up from his shell.

If the fate even lets him.

Until a loud slam of door came to take his whole attention and he has to turn around and tilts his head. When he sees the head maid runs to him and actually wear a pale expression, Niles actually prepared himself for the worst.

"M-madam Cormagrion is no longerー"

And just before he can even listen to the rest of the sentence, he already dash ahead and runs into the direction where the maid has just come and to the room where his mother is located. He barges into the room without even listening to the rest of the words and was actually surprised when he was already surrounded by a lot of men he doesn't know whoーhe is sure they aren't of their families. And worse, his mother too, wasn't there.

"So, this is the boy?" One of the men with glasses shoves his glasses up as he inspect Niles thoroughly.

Niles pulls back and tried to run away from the room itself but when the door behind him was already closed, by none other of his... despised member of the family, his grandfather, he glares and knows this is certainly not like what the maid saidーthis is a setup!

And his suspicion was cleared up when his grandfather already laughed when he locked his gaze with the wretched dead old man.

"Hah! Yes, this is the boy! See, he just comes here the instant his dead mother is mentioned! Everything would be easy whenever he is alone and his dead mother would not even know anything." He folds his hands and looks down on Niles, who actually was about to lunge himself to his grandfather who starts to play victim now Niles is pulled back by those wretched men who seemed to be none other than the right hand men of his.

Niles grits his teeth as he trashed around during the time his hands are no longer capable to hit his grandfather, who pretends to be hurt when none of his fist even hits the hell out that numb cracked skull. "What do you fucking mean my mother is dead?! She is still alive and I am here to watch over the mansion! Why did you even come here? What do you want from me? I don't have anything to do with you and if youー" And just before he finished his words, he already felt something hits the side of his cheek and made him thrown to the floor, sprawled and rendered useless.

It doesn't even stop there when he was about to say something again, which resulted in his left hand being stomped by the boot that is going to break his bone to pieces. Niles scrunched his eyes shut and screams as he felt the pain is more than bearable. And as if that isn't enough, the male sobs when another boot hits him again, getting him to be all messed up and screwed right there.

"Ohhh, scary. Scary! Look, he can talk back just fine, right? But when he gets stomped like that, all he can say is just shrill in death." An unnecessary comment from his grandfather made Niles glares up again and was ready to attack, until another kick on his gut makes him rendered speechless.

He couldn't even say anything when his grandfather already crouched in front of him and hands out a paper that has some sort of things written on it. A gleeful smirk could be seen on his lips as he looks down on poor Niles who could say nothing but looking at the paper with disgust.

"I'm pretty sure you know what I am coming here, boy. Say, you do know how much your mother invests in you, right? All you need to do is to sign on this paper to state your death and I can do the rest of everything. Give me all of your life insurances and all the wealth." He asks nicely with a wide smile at first, which disgusts Niles even further as he furrows his brows deeply, gritting his teeth and glaring his eyes to the disgusting old man.

Niles doesn't really reply as he kept glaring to the old man that seems to have gotten him good this time. He even bets the maid was already bribed with good amount of money now not even one single soul will help him.

"And if I refuse?"

His grandfather's smile widens.

"Then I can help you die! In a good way!"

And Niles is unsure on what was happening next, but he could feel all of his bones were breaking one by one and a laughter from his grandfather as he chokes blood and wheezed badly. Niles couldn't even feel anything when all he felt was numb and something shattering on the back of his mind as he was forced to die.

To die, by his grandfather's will.

And to get his money, when his mother's dying on the hospital bed.

Niles, persisted until the very end, where he fought to stay awake until he eventually blacked out, with his twisted grandfather's face on the back of his mind still.

"I hoped you have a good death now, cursed child of Cormagrion, who makes my life miserable with your disgusting mother who marry someone he doesn't even have to. Even if you live... I wish you blatant unhappiness for the rest of your life. I swear to God for that!"

[c]•••

....so you tell me Niles is dead?

Apparently, yes... he was found dead after fighting his friends...

...But Niles is never raised to be fighting someone else!...No, I refuse to believe this, Maid! Where were you during the time...?...Wait, no, what are you doing--

...Rest in peace, both of you, cursed Cormagrion's mother and son. For the sake of your grandfather, I will help him, even if it costs me to lose my status as your maid!

[c]•••

"So, you are telling me both of them already dead?" The old man who waits by the window for the maid's return asked, which had gotten a satisfying nod and bows that makes him more than pleased than ever.

"That is great, then! It is such a good day now I got to make both of their death certificates by today and certainly, I will get all of the wealth, and this mansion! And yes, I will promote you to be here for the rest of your old days, the Head of the Maid! Your life and my lifeーboth of us will live in joy for years ahead!! Ahahahahahahaha!!"

The echoes of the sinister laugh could be heard across the room now both of them laughs in victory and in a joyous celebration when none of their plans were failing. Rich shall come to rose in their.

After the depth of darkness they have created.

[c]•••

[i]It was pitch black.

[i]Black.

[i]Black, black abyss.

[i]I can't hear anything.

[i]I can't hear anything...

[i]I can hear a small wave....

[i]But it is cold. And it hurts. It feels like death has come to greet me.

[i]Have death came to take me?

[i]Where am I....?

As if it was a living nightmare, Niles slowly parts his eyes open. He doesn't believe he blinks at first, but when he does see the moonlight came to his view and lights his body slightly, the male gasps. But the next time he finds himself lying on the bed and confined with more than just a life support cables, the male frantically searchs what he can search. At first, he turns his head to search calendar. It was still the same day where he... where he was just hit by his grandfather!

And since it was nighttime, he believed he collapsed just for half a day and people probably thought that he had died.

"Of course I wouldn't die... for now, I need to find that crazy shit and kill him!" The male grits his teeth and curls his hand to kill everyone.

The male was frantic at first, and was about to find his grandfather and swore he will kill him, but when he came to see a letter with wreath of flower was put beside him, he winces and starts to question who is the sender.

"Letter...?" He asked mostly to himself as he reaches out to the letter and tore the seal.

He had bad feelings before the letter, and just when he reads the rest of the letter itself, tears starts to leak from any sides of his eyes and he couldn't find any words to say. This time, the letter is from Hannah, and Hannah, was his mother's best friend who already look over her for the last few months.

So certainly when Niles read the credibility of the letter itself, he couldn't stop his tears from dropping and wetting the letter itself. His eyes are wide and dillated, and with the trembling lips the only word he can say was, "mother..." for two or three times until his letter is soaked with nothing but his tears now the ink starts to blur as well.

Shocked and distressed from the whole ordeal, Niles merely stares at nothing as his mind leads to nowhere in between but the main stressing point.

"Help me..."

Not even his pain distracts him from the pain he felt for losing his mother. And not only that, even Hannah hoped Niles will soon recover from Cachexia and get up soon; which must be his grandfather's lies now he certainly would get all of the wealth. Such farce, Niles find, and truly, when he finds his mother died and he had no one else but to give up what remains for him, all he can do is to...

...die.

Niles couldn't really comprehend on what is happening anymore, so when his mind only leads to what his grandfather wanted, yes, he will grant his wish, if he could.

"Help me." He whispers.

The male tore off every of his connecting cables then, letting the whole machine starts to get really noisy from. Yet, Niles doesn't care. His eyes were drawn to the sign board that was hung just outside his room, however, uncaring of his plate number of 990 and the 'cachexia' problem. He doesn't even stop walking and heading outside with an expressionless face when stopped by the guard. He kept on moving.

Moving.

Moving.

Moving...

Keep moving...

...until he find a perfect place to end his life.

The Nostradamus's bridge that will always be the part of his life and how everything shall end now. At least he shouldn't listen or feeling pain or afraid anymore when everyone's eyes were on him. Not when the destination he has in mind is just right in front of him: to jump and drown.

To kill everything he has built.

To no longer feel anything.

And to stop having to be tortured like this every year.

This year is the worst.

But Niles knows just by a jump, everything will stop.

[i]Even his pain.

Or that was what Niles thought until he drowns himself and blacked out again.

And to find himself to be in some other house the next day. And to be greeted by the cafe owner who owns the shop, who asked him numerous questions he doesn't even remember what and lets Niles to live inside his cafe for his safety, now the mass media made everything a mess and will certainly foil his grandfather's plan to regain his wealth. And not only that, the cafe's owner too, informs Niles about to not go out so much now the thing is going on, which he agreed with. And just as he lives with the cafe owner for days ahead, he knows he should tell him the whole story and thus gets the cafe owner to hide his identity everyday.

A lot of people asked a lot of things about Niles, but the cafe owner never said a thing.

Although Niles asked the cafe owner if he is able to frighten his grandfather to death now he is still living and send him a lot of revenge after a while of living in shadow. After what he had done to his mother. And always posting about the same incident with different person every year to haunt his grandfather, in a sense.

The cafe owner agrees, however, asking Niles to help him with his dutiful work at the back sometimes, which the male actually reluctant on doing first, but after a year or two, he decided to help out and slowly learnt to be free from his shell, as well.

He learnt to be a free man.

And even though, all above all he too, is stil afraid if his grandfather will come after him every year, to his worrying mind and his obnoxius nightmares and even developing a scarce complex inside his mind due to that post traumatic day. He doesn't really say a thing to everyone who knows him, but every night, he knows he isn't truly himself.

Still angered by the fact he couldn't lay a single finger to the male who made him almost losing his life and even forged his death, to earn what doesn't belong to him, Niles, too, would find ways to find his grandfather and brings an end to his undeniable bothersome case.

By this incident, too, Niles knows he isn't going to die anytime soon, nor his death will even come since he came to be saved so many times by another person who eventually reached out to him.

Although his revenge to bring his grandfather's will down is still in his veins, up until the present time.

❖❖❖