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Rei Daji grew up in a small countryside town, isolated in a broken home where neither parent truly cared for him. Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, he constantly struggles with his emotions, clinging to the few fleeting connections he has. At school, he wears a mask, pretending to be someone he's not just to blend in.

But Rei has a strange and terrifying gift—by touching someone, he can devour their suffering. The pain, trauma, and despair of others become his own, filling the void inside him. The more suffering he takes, the more distorted his mind becomes.

One day, he meets someone whose pain is so overwhelming that devouring it nearly breaks him. As he spirals deeper into a world of unseen agony, Rei must decide—will he keep taking in the suffering of others, or will he finally face his own?

Devourer of Sorrows

Rei had barely been in Tokyo for a week, but already, the city felt more like a prison than a fresh start.

Every day, Rei slipped further into the background, the shadows swallowing him whole. No one paid much attention to him. They saw a quiet, withdrawn kid, and that was enough for them.

The whispers of his past, the scandal in his hometown—those weren't present here, but they didn't need to be. Rei's own guilt clung to him, more suffocating than any rumor.

And yet, there was something about the way people looked at him. Not directly, not always, but he could feel it—the brief glances, the quiet chuckles, the way they'd watch him just a little too closely before looking away.

One afternoon, Rei sat at the back of class, observing the students in front of him. They were talking, laughing like everything was fine. But he noticed the way they made space for one another, how they all seemed to have their roles, their places in the world.

Rei, on the other hand, was a ghost.

Yet, someone would come to him eventually. They always did.

Maybe they'd want a favor, maybe they'd need something from him. Maybe they'd just want someone to laugh at.

He didn't want to give them that satisfaction.

The bell rang, and everyone shuffled out of the room. Rei stayed behind, pretending to organize his books. As the others left, a girl lingered behind, her gaze shifting between Rei and the door. She hadn't spoken to him before, but now, she was standing there, a little too close for comfort.

"Rei, right?" she asked, her voice soft, like she was trying not to disturb him.

He looked up at her, meeting her eyes for a brief second before turning his gaze back to his books.

"What do you want?" His voice was quiet, but the suspicion was clear.

The girl seemed taken aback. She hesitated, as if considering whether to continue. "I... I just thought we could hang out sometime. I mean, you're new here, right? It must be hard…"

Rei's eyes narrowed slightly. Another one?

What was her angle? He didn't trust her kindness, didn't trust that she cared.

He nodded stiffly, not giving her an inch. "Sure," he said, his voice almost a monotone. "We'll see."

The girl smiled, but there was something empty about it—like she had already written him off in her mind.

As she left, Rei let out a slow breath, his fingers tightening around the book in his hands. He had no intention of letting anyone close. He wasn't going to fall for it again.

Chapter 14: Strain of Silence