Chapter 9: The Pain I Carried
Chapter 9: The Pain I Carried
The cold winds howled through the silent dungeon mountains, brushing past the jagged stones and flickering embers. Deep within the heart of that ancient place, Rai sat alone beside a dim fire. His breathing was steady but heavy, a rhythm earned through blood, sweat, and endless combat.
Tonight, Shurai had left him alone — a rare moment of solitude after days of relentless training.
But silence... brings memories.
Memories Rai never truly escaped from.
---
When I Was Two...
He didn't remember their faces completely.
Just... fragments.
A warm smile.
A large hand stroking his hair.
His mother's soft voice humming a lullaby as rain danced on the rooftops.
And then... nothing.
> "They died when I was two."
That's all anyone would say.
Some said it was a carriage accident.
Others whispered about bandits.
Rai never knew the truth.
And no one dared speak it aloud.
What remained was a boy too young to mourn, yet too alone to forget.
Uncle Baren had taken him in, raised him with stern love and warrior discipline.
But no one could replace that warmth.
And Rai… never cried.
Because how do you cry for memories that barely exist?
---
The Man I Used to Be — Ryu Takeda
In a life long forgotten by this world, Rai had another name.
Ryu Takeda.
A Taekwondo prodigy. A fighter with flame in his kicks and steel in his gaze.
He had pride. He had strength. He had fans.
But behind all of that… he had her.
> "Aiko."
She wasn't a warrior.
She wasn't loud or bold.
She was the girl who smiled quietly from the sidelines.
The girl who waited after every match, even in the pouring rain.
The girl who brought him homemade bento and cheered silently with her eyes.
He never confessed.
He always thought there would be time.
> "Let me win the national championship first," he told himself.
"Then I'll tell her."
But fate doesn't wait.
On a rainy morning, Ryu saw an old man trying to cross a busy street.
He ran to help.
The truck never stopped.
His body hit the ground before his dream ever reached his lips.
> "I loved you, Aiko… I'm sorry."
Those were his last thoughts.
Not medals.
Not glory.
Just her.
---
This Life… Must Be Different
The fire snapped, pulling Rai back into the present.
He opened his eyes, filled with exhaustion — and clarity.
> "In my past life, I was too late.
Too weak.
Too silent."
"But this time… I will be stronger."
"Not for revenge…
But so that this life isn't wasted like the last one."
His hand reached for the meditation stone beside him.
His eyes closed, letting the silence return — but this time, with purpose.
Within him, the dormant core stirred.
Still locked. Still colorless.
But something moved.
A flicker. A spark.
The beginning of a storm.
Far away, in the void between worlds, a soft whisper echoed in the air:
> "Rai… live this life well."
He would.
No matter how long it took.
No matter how painful the path.
This time… he would not be too late.
---
[End of Chapter 9]