4 Years later...

  "U-Uncle..."

  I never thought I'd feel anything like this again after losing my parents, but it seemed life had a way of surprising you, sometimes cruelly so.

  Jin had gone out on his last mission of the month, a D-level dungeon, nothing dangerous considering his rank. It should have been a walk in the park for him. But during that routine raid, he collapsed mid-fight, and one of those damn monsters managed to deal a brutal blow to his chest.

  Now he lay unconscious before me, his skin pale, while the doctors desperately tried to resuscitate him. I was frozen, paralyzed with fear, and I wanted to scream, to cry, but the shock was so overwhelming that all I could do was stand there, staring at him as his life hung by a thread.

  "Kid! Get out of the room!" shouted one of the doctors working to revive him. But I was too stunned to respond or move, my gaze fixed on him, my eyes filled with such sadness that it startled the doctor, who paused for a second, stunned. Finally, a nurse had to practically drag me out of the emergency room, leaving me alone in the waiting area.

  Then Dr. Aizawa arrived. Before he entered the emergency room, he stopped and looked at me. He stood there for a few seconds, saying nothing. Someone inside the room called him, and with a final, sorrowful glance in my direction, he disappeared behind those heavy metal doors.

  In those chaotic moments, I tried everything to keep my mind off the worst-case scenario, trying so hard that I just shut down entirely, sitting frozen in that cold waiting room chair for what felt like hours, not crying, not screaming... just there, like I’d turned to stone.

  Nurses came over to offer comfort, but their voices barely reached my mind. I was disconnected from the reality, ignoring everything around me.

  After what seemed like ages, Dr. Aizawa finally came out, gesturing for the nurses to give us space. It meant he had to talk to me, and they left quickly. Seeing him approach, my hands began to sweat, my mind snapped back, and my heart started racing wildly.

  He sat next to me, taking a few seconds before he spoke. He pulled out an e-cigarette and took a drag, as if to calm his nerves.

  "I won’t beat around the bush. Your uncle’s in a terrible state. The wound to his chest—though caused by a creature no real threat to most Reapers—caught him off guard with his defenses completely down. It shattered his rib cage and tore his lung, which has been lost. The doctors have done all they can, and for now, he’s stable…"

  At those words, tears began streaming down my face, as if a weight had been lifted. My uncle was alive!

  “Thank God…thank God…” I muttered, covering my face with my hands. I didn’t care if Jin wouldn’t be able to support us anymore; he had done so much for us, and now, it was my turn to return the favor. But the news didn’t stop there.

  “There’s…something else I need to tell you.”

  His expression grew darker, and his silence told me he was holding something back. The happiness I’d just felt disappeared, replaced by dread.

  “W-What’s wrong?”

  He hesitated again, as if it pained him to say more.

  "Spit it out!" I shouted in panic, jumping to my feet.

  "...I probably shouldn’t be the one to tell you this, but Jin didn’t want you two to know. Still, at this point... Your uncle, Jin... he’s dying. I’m sorry."

  As he spoke those words, a thunderbolt struck somewhere close by, creating a booming sound that rattled the hospital windows.

  I didn’t know how to process what he’d just said. I wanted to believe it was a joke. Nervously, I began laughing like an idiot, tears running down my face. But one look at Dr. Aizawa told me this was no joke.

  “B-But you said…” I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence, my body trembling like a leaf.

  "You see, years ago, before Jin adopted you, he was one of Asia’s top Reapers—a first-rate A-rank. Unfortunately, during one of his raids into those cursed realms, he contracted a rare and deadly virus that doesn’t exist on Earth, one that attacked his heart. The virus seemed harmless at first; he could still live normally. But each time he used his force, the virus would flare up, causing excruciating pain all over his body. Over time, it grew worse, damaging him even when he wasn’t using his powers. No matter how many strong antibiotics we gave him, no matter how many high-ranking healers tried, the virus couldn’t be eradicated. Five years ago, following my advice, he decided to quit being a Reaper—it was the only way to extend his life, even if only a bit. Everything was set…until—"

  “We were abandoned by our family…” I muttered, gripping my hair in my hands. So it was our fault that Uncle Jin was in this state? If we hadn’t existed, would Jin still be okay?

  “Exactly. I’ve known Jin since he was young, and he was hopeless at most things—from school to the simplest jobs—but there was one thing he was born to do: fight. So he sacrificed his own body to give you a life without suffering, though it worsened his condition. He might have lived another ten years, but after this incident, his life expectancy has plummeted…”

  I couldn’t get it out of my head that we were to blame. The thought tore through me, and I cursed my existence and my sister’s. If we’d never been born, my parents wouldn’t have died as Reapers, trying to give us a brighter future. I felt cursed.

  “Don’t blame yourself, Ryu. This was his choice, and he was fully aware of what he was doing. Not once has he regretted taking you both in, so clear your head of those dark thoughts.”

  As Dr. Aizawa gave me more details, my mind raced, searching for any sign I might have ignored—maybe I’d been too wrapped up in my own problems to notice, or maybe I chose to ignore it. But the more I thought about it, the harder it was to believe he was dying. At home, he was always smiling, always cheerful, always seemed so healthy and fit! I thought back to the day Aizawa “shattered” my dream; there was something strange between them then, but I’d been so self-absorbed that I’d missed it... Damn it! I didn’t want it to end this way; I couldn’t accept such a fate.

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  “Isn’t there a solution?!” I asked desperately, clutching Dr. Aizawa’s coat so tightly that he was taken aback by my outburst. I’d lost my parents, and the pain still cut deep—I couldn’t lose Jin, too!

  His eyes turned strange, with an intensity that gave me an unpleasant feeling. I’d only ever felt such fear once, in a very dark time. But it was fleeting, because right then, my concern was elsewhere.

  “There may be one way, but I’m not sure you’d—”

  “I’ll do it! Please, just tell me what it is!”

  The moment he hinted at a possibility, it felt like my body surged with new energy, like a spark of hope appeared in the distance. I’d do whatever it took to help Jin, just as he’d done for me, even to the point of illness.

  “Alright, then. Follow me,” he said as he got up and headed toward his office. My heart filled with hope as I followed, eager to hear what could possibly save Uncle Jin. I asked him a few questions, trying to understand, but all he said was to be patient; once we reached his office, he’d explain everything.

  Entering his office, he gestured for me to sit down. After preparing two cups of green tea, he finally began to speak.

  "You see, there’s a cure for your uncle; a complete cure, one that can heal any imaginable affliction. It comes from a plant called the ‘Divine Kiss,’ and as the name suggests, it has properties that seem out of this world. If your uncle ingests it, he’d recover within seconds."

  Hearing those words, I was filled with excitement, hardly able to contain myself as I imagined Uncle Jin finally getting better.

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself, kid,” Aizawa said, looking at me with a serious expression. “Not only can this plant only be found in dungeons, but to the best of our knowledge, it’s been missing for years…”

  “W-Why did you tell me this then…?”

  “Because there is still a possibility, but it depends on you.”

  On me? If it was up to me… I’d do anything possible or imaginable!

  “Alright! Like I said before, I’m ready for anything!”

  “Ready for anything, huh? I hope you don’t come to regret those words…”

  Aizawa stood from his chair and went over to a safe in the wall near the window. Without allowing me a glimpse of the combination, he carefully spun the dial for several seconds until I heard a metallic click, signaling the small door opening.

  Once the safe was open, I caught sight of a stack of dossiers. Aizawa pulled out one in particular, a black folder, and after closing the safe, he handed it to me.

  “Open it,” Aizawa said, as he made himself comfortable again on his plush chair.

  Hesitantly, I opened the folder and was shocked to see a photo of my younger sister on the first page.

  “W-What does my sister have to do with Jin’s health?” I asked Aizawa, puzzled.

  “Read on.”

  I couldn’t explain it, but I felt an ominous feeling as I started reading the report. That feeling intensified with every line until I was left completely stunned by what I read: the document was an evaluation of Ariel’s potential capabilities, and the results were so extraordinary that I had to read it multiple times to believe it.

  [“Force Quantity: B!”… “Force Affinity: A+!”… “Potential… no, this can’t be… S+?!"]

  For a moment, my mind went blank. My sister, my sweet little sister, was a genius - a rare genius. I should’ve felt proud, happy even, to have such an incredible sister. But instead, in that moment, I wasn’t proud. I was furious. Because if I’d had that kind of talent, maybe Jin would be safe now, and maybe I wouldn’t have had to abandon my vengeance due to my own uselessness. I was even angry at Ariel, resenting how fate had granted her this “gift” and not me—a gift she wasn’t even interested in using.

  “Ryu?… RYU?!”

  Suddenly, lost in my thoughts and struggling to contain my anger, I was snapped back to “reality” by Aizawa, who’d noticed how distant I’d become.

  “Oh… sorry…” I mumbled, forcing a strained smile to hide my true feelings.

  “Ah… I know it’s hard for you to believe,” Aizawa said, pulling out a thick cigar with a faint scent of chocolate, “but your sister is a true prodigy. In my nearly 30 years in this field, I’ve never encountered a talent like hers. I’d even say there aren’t many in the world like her: she has the potential to become the number one Reaper!”

  “Ah, fantastic…” I muttered, slamming the folder shut in frustration.

  The more Aizawa talked, the angrier I became with myself and with Ariel, and the more I felt like smashing everything around me. But now wasn’t the time to let jealousy or personal grievances take over. My priority was still Jin.

  Once I’d calmed down, however, I realized something didn’t add up.

  “Doctor… what does Jin have to do with Ariel?”

  “I was just about to get to that. You see, all young Awakened and potential Awakened individuals are registered with the National Reaper Agency, so their progress can be monitored. This data is then shared with training centers for new Reapers, where they carefully select the students they want to ‘nurture.’ I’m telling you this because Ariel has received formal invitations from practically every training center, with some even offering large sums of money to recruit her. But one academy in particular pushed harder than the others to make her their student: the Trinity Academy, one of Japan’s—and the world’s—top academies, directly run by the Trinity Guild. And as you know, the leaders of Trinity are also the executives of the Oracle company…”

  At the mention of "Oracle," my blood began to boil, and painful memories linked to that name surfaced. I felt a slight shiver of fear too. Trinity and Oracle had both been founded by my father’s family, and every time I heard those names, I remembered the cold, ruthless look my “grandfather” had given me the day we met at my parents’ funeral, as if I were nothing. He was the reason Ariel and I were left abandoned on the streets like worthless refuse.

  I wondered why Aizawa had brought up that name, knowing our history with them. And then, suddenly, a terrible intuition hit me. I tried to dismiss it, but with everything Aizawa was saying, it only grew more plausible.

  “The plant… Jin… Ariel… don’t tell me Oracle is the only company with that damned plant?”

  I asked the question without fully believing it, hoping it was just a paranoid thought. But Aizawa’s cold silence confirmed that my suspicions were correct.

  “So, in exchange for the miracle plant… they want Ariel to become their student… or maybe even a member of that damned guild!” I shouted, jumping out of my seat.

  “Unfortunately, yes,” Aizawa replied calmly, unphased by my outburst. “Jin has known of this solution for some time now, but he’s been trying to find other options since he didn’t want to hand Ariel over to the Ozaki family for obvious reasons. But Jin underestimated his condition, and his stubbornness has brought us to this critical point. I tried convincing him to change his mind, but he’s even more stubborn than he seems. Now he’s unconscious, and you’re Ariel’s ‘guardian.’ You know the solution, and you know what it will take. What will you do? Will you let your uncle die, or will you accept the Ozaki family’s request?”

  In that moment, I found myself at a crossroads. I didn’t want to hand my little sister over to those monsters masquerading as “family.” I couldn’t trust them after everything that had happened, and as jealous as I was of Ariel, I couldn’t do something like that to her. But on the other hand… Jin could be saved with a “simple” signature!

  I thought about it, reconsidering over and over, while neither of us spoke, though the tension in the room said more than words could. In the end, as I imagined Jin lying on that bed near death, my heart wavered, and reason took over: I picked up the pen and the paper, ready to sign. I hesitated, still unsure. But then I thought of the comfortable life Ariel could have, and if there were people who valued such things obsessively, it was the Ozaki—even if I despised them. In that moment, my doubts vanished, and despite the disgust I felt, I signed the papers, tears streaming down my face.

  “Good!” Aizawa said, visibly pleased with my choice. “I’ll send the documents to Oracle immediately so they can deliver the antidote for Jin.”

  Despite his words, I couldn’t feel entirely satisfied with what I’d done, managing only a weak, forced smile.

  “You did the right thing, kid!” Aizawa said, patting my shoulder as he moved toward the exit. “Jin will understand your decision, trust me. I’ll call a cab to pick you up. See you soon, Ryu.”