Narration:
Another whole day had passed.
Darok went to the hospital to get Loma discharged.
Doctor: "There you go."
Loma's eyes widened, disbelief and wonder mixing in his gaze.
Loma: "How… how am I here? A dream?"
Darok let out a faint smile, his voice soft but steady.
Darok: "It's not a dream, my little brother. You're back with me."
Loma offered a faint smile, saying nothing, and quietly followed Darok as they walked toward the home where Darok lived.
[Back to Xoza – Prison Torment]
Xoza's mind spun in exhaustion and despair:
I didn't sleep. I haven't had water or food… Am I going to die like this? Can't I just… go back to the old times? I haven't seen the sky… or even a single ray of light since they brought me here…
Tears formed, blurring his vision, racing down his face as if trying to escape the weight of his suffering.
A choked, muffled scream tore from his throat.
Xoza (crying): "I wanna go back…"
[Flashback – School, Crimson Talon Era]
Xoza walked into his classroom, only to find two Crimson Talons standing in his path.
Talons: "Oi, Xoza! Weak bastard!"
Talons (laughing cruelly): "Why do you keep coming back, huh? Little weakling…"
Xoza's hands froze, trembling uncontrollably. Humiliation curled through him like fire, stabbing at his chest. This daily torment had become unbearable.
Desperation pushed him forward. He threw a wild fist, but the Talons ducked back and delivered a brutal kick to his gut.
He coughed violently, the air burned his lungs. They yanked his hair.
Talon: "The weakling talks back? Hah… what a joke."
Xoza collapsed to his knees. The Talons advanced, raining blows across his face again and again, their voices taunting him in a relentless echo.
Talons: "Don't dare talk back to us!"
Pain exploded across Xoza's face. Each strike, each insult carved deeper into his soul. Even tears refused to fall—he felt stripped of dignity, utterly humiliated and small.
Xoza (thinking): Why am I… so pathetic…
Then, in the silence of his despair, a cold, overwhelming presence filled the room. The Talons froze mid-attack, eyes wide, forced to halt.
??? (coldly, dangerously calm): "Stop right there!"
Chapter 57 – End