death

Bill Pov

My eyes lit up with a sharp, deep black glow as I focused my gaze on them...

Those damned threads coiled around them, wrapping tighter and tighter, as if they were swallowing them whole... 

At that moment, I confirmed something important. 

All the dreams and nightmares that haunted me, the hallucinations that pushed me to the brink of fear… they were all real. 

The idea of a hidden power like those in movies and anime, or some kind of mind manipulation, seemed highly improbable. 

But if I took my current state into consideration and applied it to those possibilities… 

Somehow, everything would start making sense. Or at the very least, I could calm my mind and stop it from driving me insane. 

Returning to reality, outside my spiraling thoughts, I remained focused on them—expressionless. 

Perhaps they didn't even realize what they were doing... 

Whatever those things were, they were the ones controlling them. 

No matter what they were, or who was responsible for them, they were the ones pulling the strings. 

I could only hope that was the case... 

"I've discovered everything..."

I spoke calmly, my eyes flickering between them with a hint of wonder before sharpening once more in anger. 

My words seemed to have struck them deeply, but would they really change anything...? 

Zak clasped his hands together and let out a long breath. 

"Then, Bill, how about telling me what exactly you've discovered...?"

His words were deep, making me shudder for a moment. 

I gathered my thoughts... I arranged everything from the first day up until now. 

Every piece of information I had collected... What would happen here, in this moment, would affect my entire life. 

**"First of all... I'm not your son. You adopted me when I was young—probably in my first year—but it's not as simple as it seems..."** 

Silence filled the space, signaling me to continue. 

Faint traces of frowns and confusion were etched onto their faces... 

But what made me pause was the sight of those threads slowly loosening, drifting upward into the void... 

Seeing that moment left me astonished inside. 

Maybe... If I said everything, they would disappear. 

Maybe then, I'd be able to see them as they truly were... 

In a quiet, steady voice, I continued: 

**"I was abandoned by my real family. That's why there's no record of any orphanage I stayed in, nor any memories of it. 

Maybe you found me discarded on the streets... Maybe it was out of pity, or maybe something else drove you to take in a child like that. 

But you're not the kind of people who would do it out of kindness... 

The only reason you took me in was to replace someone else."** 

Their expressions shifted—eyes filled with regret and sorrow. 

Zak couldn't even look me in the eye; he turned his head slightly downward. 

She, too, was wide-eyed in shock before averting her gaze. 

The most precious thing any parents have in life is their child... 

And the two standing before me had already lost one. 

Their grief must have been immeasurable. 

**"In your eyes, I was just a substitute for the son you lost... Isn't that right?"** 

I wasn't expecting an answer. 

What I was saying was the truth... but its weight was different for each of us. 

People always try to escape reality. 

They wrap it in layers of lies to make it easier to accept—or at least, less painful. 

And that's exactly what they had been doing all along. 

I looked up at the black threads. 

One by one, they were disappearing. 

Only a few remained now... 

"Zak, due to your sheer neglect, you were against the idea of taking me in from the start. 

But maybe, because of the void your real son left behind, or perhaps because of your wife's feelings, or for some other reason, you brought me in. 

But deep down, in the depths of your heart, you rejected me. 

You never wanted to acknowledge me. You buried everything inside you, never giving me any attention or care—no matter what struggles I was going through."

A faint glow flickered in his eyes, his face twisting with guilt. 

He turned his gaze downward as if his mind was forcing him to relive the past. 

Memories he had buried in the darkest corners of his emotions... 

I then turned my gaze toward Chloe, who stood frozen in shock. 

"As for you, Chloe… You were the one who wanted to bring me in. 

You wanted to fill the void within yourself by raising me. 

You thought taking care of a child would ease your guilt… That it would finally help you forget what happened, right? 

Deep down, you wanted to erase the accident from your mind. 

Erase the scene. 

Erase the voices inside your head that blamed you and reminded you of it every single day..."

"I would sometimes hear your screams from your room... 

Terror, fear, regret—they all mixed together, haunting your dreams. 

And my presence only reinforced those emotions in you. 

That's why you chose Ryo as your outlet—because he was weak, untalented. 

You used his shortcomings as an excuse to take everything out on me, because i were better than him."

Chloe flinched for the second time. 

I could clearly hear the grinding of her teeth. 

Her large, orange eyes trembled with grief and regret. 

Her hands, shaking, slowly rose to cover her face, but they failed to stop a single tear from sliding down her cheek, falling silently to the floor... 

"You know, Chloe, I suffered greatly because of your guilt. 

I endured torment that felt like hell, every single day, because of you two. 

You didn't just add to your past regrets—you created a new one... and it was me." 

Zak's eyes trembled as he placed a hand over his face, his lips quivering as he let out a shaky breath—but no words followed. 

It was as if his voice had abandoned him. 

Chloe's eyes, meanwhile, were tinged red, drowning in tears... 

"For the record, I will never be his replacement. 

And if you hated me so much because I reminded you of him, why didn't you just get rid of me? 

Dying alone on the streets would have been a thousand times better than living in this hell because of you..."

A tearing sound...

I heard it clearly. 

I lifted my gaze—only three threads remained wrapped around them. 

I was so close… so very close… 

Just a little more, and I would set them free. 

Once those cursed things were gone, they would finally be released… 

I had placed my hopes high. 

Once they were freed, my life would change. 

They would love me, treat me kindly. 

I would become their real son. 

And after that, everything… everything would be different. 

The cursed life I had endured… would finally change. 

Just as I parted my lips to speak— 

A deep, overwhelming voice, ancient and monstrous, echoed through my mind, shaking me to my core.

"It's time to return."

I clutched my head in fear, my eyes rolling wildly in their sockets— 

W-What was that…? 

What was that cursed voice…? 

Terror gripped me. 

My body trembled uncontrollably, as if I were standing at the very edge of my existence…

I slowly lifted my gaze, only to be struck by the horror before me. My eyes refused to believe it… **Those threads had returned—darker, more terrifying than before.** 

"Mother... Father... please..." 

The words escaped my lips unconsciously. I had been so close to freeing them, just one step away...

I felt helpless, fear gripping me as I looked at them—as if I were standing before terrifying monsters. 

"Bill, you've spoken enough nonsense, child..." my mother said, her glowing orange eyes burning with fury. 

It hit me then—I can't live here anymore. I have no place here...

If they catch me, they'll beat me again, make my life a living hell all over again... 

I don't want that. But... there's nowhere to go, nowhere I can find what I long for...

"Tell me... You wouldn't feel anything if I died, would you?" 

I asked in a hushed voice... 

But instead of answering, their gaze told me everything.

No one cares. No one ever will... 

Why not just die? 

Maybe... I'll find peace after death...!

With heavy steps, I walked toward the front door. 

"This is goodbye... I'll leave you to this miserable life..." 

"Wait, Bill! Come back here right now!" 

Zak's furious voice roared behind me, but I didn't care. I closed the door behind me and began walking toward the train tracks… 

The small candle in the corner of my heart had been snuffed out.

Only darkness remained...

The full moon shone in the sky, its silver light beautiful yet distant, while the stars danced around it with their faint glow. The streetlights illuminated the path before me… 

They all shone upon my wretched state, pointing toward my impending end...

From afar, I heard the train rushing closer. I stood near the tracks, staring... reminiscing about my short life, which hadn't even reached ten years.

I let out a bitter laugh in my heart, while my eyes dimmed, like an abandoned, ancient abyss...

There was no reason to stay... My purpose in life would never be fulfilled, no matter how hard I tried. Simply because **fighting was never an option for me...**

I took a deep breath of the cold night air as the silver moonlight washed over me, **falling like gentle snowflakes.**

*"Well, well... what do we have here?"*

A voice emerged from the darkness behind me.

A man with **sharp, black eyes** stepped forward. The moonlight spread across his large frame, highlighting the **joyful smile** on his face.

But this time, there were **no strings attached to him...**

**This man was moving on his own...**

*"What are you doing, kid? Step away from the tracks."*

He started approaching slowly, but I **saw him as nothing more than air...** I didn't acknowledge his presence, nor did I care.

I simply waited for my end.

*"Life is a precious gift... Isn't it a shame to throw it away like this?"*

The man spoke with a seemingly wise tone, but his words felt insincere.

He was still getting closer, but I didn't lift my gaze to meet his. My expression remained unchanged.

**"A precious gift"? Hah... What a ridiculous joke...**

Just before the train arrived, the man suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him!

I was slightly startled, and before I could say a word—

**Pain... A sharp, searing pain tore through my left side.**

I slowly lowered my gaze...

**A large knife was buried deep in my body.**

**Warm, crimson blood began to spill, dripping beneath my feet...**

My eyes widened as I looked up—

And I saw them.

Those cursed things...

The strings... were controlling him...!

"As I said... life is precious."

The man whispered with a faint smile before slowly pulling out the knife—

And stabbing me again, this time in the stomach.

Pain...

Weakness...

My vision blurred, my eyelids growing heavy...

I didn't resist. I let them close, as a strange coldness seeped into my body...

Blood pooled beneath me...

Haah... so this is it. I'm dying...

My body is cold… and I no longer have the strength to open my eyes...

Darkness.

There was nothing but darkness.

And just like that...

My pitiful life came to an end... finally...