Two weeks

Levi let out a broken sob, but the pain in his swollen face made him wince. Even crying hurt.

And he couldn't even tell which one hurt more—his battered body or his shattered world.

By evening, they finally let him go.

It wasn't his mother who came for him.

It was Felix.

Levi followed the man in silence, his body aching with every step. His vision was hazy—either from exhaustion or the bruising around his eyes. Probably both.

As they walked through the dimly lit streets, Felix finally spoke.

"The city council gave your family two weeks." His voice was calm, but there was a weight to it. "You have to leave by then."

Levi stopped walking.

The words hit harder than any of the guard's punches.

Two weeks.

In just two weeks, they'd be thrown out—into the wasteland, into uncertainty, into a world where people like them didn't survive long.

Felix turned to face him, expression unreadable.

"I'll try to get them to extend it," he added, like that would somehow make it better.

Levi, who had no tears left to shed, could only nod.

That was all he could do now.

The pain in Levi's face throbbed with every step, a dull, aching reminder of how everything had spiraled out of control.

But that pain was nothing compared to the weight in his chest.

What were they going to do?

Leaving the settlement meant death.

He knew it. Everyone knew it.

Though his body moved forward, his mind wasn't there. It drifted in the dark, grasping for solutions that didn't exist.

By the time they reached home, the sky had darkened into a deep, suffocating blue.

And there, standing outside the house, was his mother.

She wasn't crying. She wasn't yelling.

She simply stood there, staring at the ground, as if looking at him was too much to bear.

Levi's throat tightened. He wanted to fix this. He wanted to turn back time.

But all he could do was stand there, broken, as guilt swallowed him whole.

"I'm sorry," he choked out, the words slipping between the tremble of his breath.

Tears blurred his vision again, hot against his bruised skin, making everything hurt even more.

His mother didn't move.

Didn't say anything.

She just kept looking at the floor.

Levi kept whispering, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." over and over, like a broken record, his voice hoarse and shaking.

But his mother didn't respond.

Her expression was empty. Hollow.

She just stood there, staring at the dirt beneath her feet, arms limp at her sides.

And Levi realized something far worse than anger:

She had given up.

She wasn't yelling at him. She wasn't crying.

She was just... done.

It hadn't been easy on her. Nothing in life had been easy.

She worked two jobs just to keep them afloat, barely scraping by.

Her husband—Levi's father—was sick, and just keeping him alive cost more than they could afford.

The only reason they hadn't been thrown out before was because the Mercenary Corps provided stipends to the families of soldiers.

But the payments were unreliable. Sometimes they came, sometimes they didn't.

And now... this.

A son who was delusional.

A son who kept seeing things.

A son who couldn't just keep his mouth shut.

Who accused the mayor himself of harboring a zombie.

And now, because of him, they had two weeks before they were thrown out into the wild.

A death sentence.

And Levi, feeling the crushing weight of her silence, could only stand there, his chest caving in.

Felix let out a sigh before speaking, his voice low but firm.

"Your mother will be staying with me for now."

Levi barely reacted. His eyes were locked on the ground, unmoving, unfocused.

Felix continued, "You take care of your father. There's food inside—enough to last for a bit. If you need anything, call me."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small scrap of paper, and tucked it into Levi's jacket.

Levi didn't move.

Just stood there.

Felix waited a few seconds, then sighed again, shaking his head before stepping away.

Levi's hands curled into fists at his sides.

His heart was pounding in his ears, but he couldn't react.

He knew how hard things had been for his mom.

How exhausted she was. How the weight of everything had been crushing her, pressing her down bit by bit until she had nothing left.

How could he explain that he hadn't meant for this to happen?

That it wasn't intentional?

That he was just scared?

That he had only wanted to help?

He swallowed hard, his throat burning.

Levi had no idea how long he had been standing there, frozen in place as the weight of everything pressed down on him.

His breath was shallow, barely escaping his lips as he finally lifted his head.

His mom was gone.

Felix was gone.

They had left him.

And for the first time in his life, Levi truly felt alone.

His lips parted, trembling. "Mum…"

The word barely came out—a whisper swallowed by the night.

Then his knees buckled. His body gave out.

He collapsed onto all fours, his fingers digging into the dirt as sobs wracked his body. Tears streamed down his swollen, bruised face, each drop stinging against his raw skin. His chest heaved, desperate to take in air, but everything felt too much.

Then—

His vision shifted.

X-ray mode.

His surroundings peeled away like layers of paper. He could see through the walls of their small, worn-down home. He could see his father's frail form lying motionless in bed, his shallow breathing barely enough to move his chest.

Then—

Normal view. With highlighted info.

Words flooded his sight. The pH level of the soil. The moisture content of the ground beneath him. The species of the wilted flowers, their petals curling at the edges. Useless data, drowning him in information he didn't want.

Then—

Heat mode.

His hands clenched into fists, dirt slipping between his fingers. His vision flickered between modes, unable to settle, unable to decide what to focus on.

Which only further frustrated him. A raw, guttural scream tore from his throat as he clawed at his eyes, his fingers digging into his skin as though he could rip the cursed sight from his skull.

"You cursed eye!" he shrieked, slapping himself over and over, his hands trembling with fury and despair. His vision flickered wildly between modes, his mind overwhelmed by the shifting realities.

He slammed his forehead against the ground, the dull thud sending a fresh wave of pain through his already battered body. His chest heaved, breath coming in ragged gasps. If only he could make it stop—this curse, this sight, this cruel, endless torment.

He lifted his trembling hands, fingers curled, ready to tear at his own face, to rip his eyes from their sockets if that's what it took to end this suffering.

But just as his nails dug into his skin—a highlight appeared in his vision.

Mysticism: Voidborn.

His breath hitched. His hands froze inches from his face. His heart pounded against his ribs.

Voidborn?

His fingers twitched as he stared at the glowing words in his vision. Voidborn.

That wasn't right. It wasn't normal.

Every other human he had ever seen, from the students in class to the mayor himself, had been labeled Mysticism: Insulator.

It was common knowledge—humans couldn't wield abilities. They were dead zones, unable to conduct mysticism or magic.

So why was his different?

His chest tightened. There was more information if he focused, as if his sight was waiting for his command.

His gaze shifted downward, scanning himself like he had with others. His name, Male, and the usual bodily information were there—his organs, blood, bones, and even vague references to how parts of him could be used. He shuddered at that.

But then his mysticism reading—

Voidborn.

His stomach churned.

Did this mean he had an ability? No. That wasn't possible. Humans were Insulators. That was fact. That was how the world worked.

Levi's heart pounded.

His feet moved on their own, carrying him through the house, his hands trembling as they gripped the doorframe.

He rushed to his parents' room, his mind still reeling from the Voidborn reading. He could barely hear his own breathing as he approached his father, lying weakly on the bed, his face pale, his breathing shallow.

Levi hesitated for just a moment before focusing his vision on his dad. His gaze sharpened, and the words on the screen flashed before his eyes:

Male – Infected.

His blood ran cold.

The word "infected" hit him like a physical blow.

A new prompt appeared.

How to cure infections.

The words felt like a punch to his gut.

A cure?

That wasn't supposed to be possible.

He'd heard stories, rumors, but no one ever claimed to know the real way to cure the infection.

But here it was.

In front of him.

In his vision.

The information was laid bare.

There also seemed to be more details if he wanted to know how to get or make the cure.

Levi's breath quickened.

Could he really cure his father?

Could he stop what seemed inevitable?

His mind spun. The words "how to cure infections" hovered in front of his eyes like a haunting specter.

He could feel his breath shallow and uneven, the weight of the situation suffocating him.

Could he really cure his father?

It seemed impossible. Everyone knew the truth—there was no cure for the Chaos Vein sickness.

The best the medical world could offer was a suppressant, a medication that could stave off the sickness for a while, but it came at an exorbitant price.

His family could barely afford the bare minimum, and it was becoming harder and harder to keep his father alive.

But now—

Here it was.

This impossible possibility staring him in the face.

Could it really be true?

His father had been suffering for years, and Levi had watched helplessly as the illness slowly drained the life from him.

The idea that there might actually be a cure was a revelation that shook him to his very core.

But it felt too good to be true.

How could this be?

How could he be seeing this now, in the midst of all his personal chaos?

He could feel his mind split, torn between two opposing forces:

The desire to save his father, to hold onto something that might help him overcome all his failures—

And the fear of the unknown, the terror of making the wrong choice and ruining everything.

Levi didn't know if he was ready for the truth—what he might learn from this new layer of information.

His world had already been shattered so many times before.

But this…

This felt like it would change everything.

He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, his gaze fixed on the screen, his pulse thundering in his ears.