At Klang Hospital,
"Huu... today was quite exhausting too." Kazui let out a long sigh as he walked into the hospital parking area. "And once again, I had to come here using my own power. It really drains my energy."
The hospital's automatic doors slid open smoothly as Kazui approached. The cold air-conditioned air immediately greeted his tired face.
"Ah, Kazui!" A woman's voice called out to him from the direction of the lobby. "Just getting back from school?"
Kazui turned toward the source of the voice. A woman was walking toward him with light steps. Her hands were holding a thick clipboard. Her neatly tied hair—
"Yes, Mrs. Anna." Kazui replied while adjusting the position of his bag strap hanging on his shoulder. "Are you heading home now, Mrs. Anna?"
Anna stopped her steps right in front of Kazui, then looked at him with a slightly annoyed expression. "Hey, how many times have I told you? Just call me Auntie. Why is it so hard for you to call me that?"
Kazui fell silent for a moment.
"..."
"Ah..." Kazui scratched the back of his head that wasn't itchy. "I guess I'm still not used to it. Besides, what's wrong with calling you Mrs. Anna?"
"Then start getting used to it now. Is that okay? I think you can definitely do something as simple as that."
Kazui sighed in resignation. "Haahh... alright, Auntie."
"There you go. Very good." Anna smiled with satisfaction. "Anyway, next time go home first before coming here. You must be tired after a whole day at school, especially since you came here using your light power again, right? That drains energy, you know."
Kazui laughed softly while shaking his head. "Ha ha ha... that's true, but it's okay. I prefer coming straight here rather than going back to the flat first." A small smile appeared on his face. "Besides, I'm used to it."
Anna let out a long sigh, but in the end, smiled gently. "Alright then. I'm heading home now." She shifted her gaze to the right corridor. "Your mother's condition is quite stable today too. No significant complaints. So you can talk with her calmly in the room as usual."
"Thank you, Auntie." Kazui nodded sincerely. "If I need anything later, I'll let you know right away, Auntie."
"Yes, don't hesitate." Anna patted Kazui's shoulder briefly and gently. "Take care of yourself."
Kazui waved briefly while smiling, then turned and began walking down the long corridor.
In Kazui's Mother's Room,
Kazui stopped briefly in front of the door to room number 304, then knocked on the door gently three times.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Come in," a gentle voice was heard from inside.
Kazui opened the door slowly. The room was simple but clean and tidy. One hospital bed with an adjustable backrest, a faded green plastic chair, a small table with some fresh fruit—apples and oranges—on it, and a large window facing directly toward the hospital's small garden, green and well-maintained.
"Ah, Kazui." His mother lying in bed immediately turned toward the door. Her face was still beautiful despite looking slightly pale and tired.
"Just back from school?"
"Yes." Kazui closed the door then placed his bag on the floor near the corner of the room. His hands reached for some apples from the table and a small knife that had been prepared. With quick movements, he began cutting the apples into neat small slices. "How is Mother's condition today?"
Kazui pulled the green chair closer to the bedside, then sat down while chewing one apple slice. It tasted sweet and fresh, its juice moistening his slightly dry throat.
"Still the same as usual." His mother looked at her son's face gently. "No significant changes. Anna said my condition is stable, so don't worry too much."
The heart disease his mother suffered from was quite serious—dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle weakens and is unable to pump blood effectively throughout the body. This condition meant his mother couldn't stand or walk for too long. Most of her time had to be spent lying down or sitting. This disease came suddenly several years ago. Anna, who was already experienced, suspected it was most likely due to age factors, but the exact cause behind this condition still couldn't be fully explained by the doctors.
"How was your day at school? Everything's okay, right? No problems?"
"Everything's fine. As usual."
"Thank goodness. Well then, Anna has helped us so much, Kazui. From hospital costs, your school fees, even your living place. Mother really hopes you won't trouble her more than this."
Anna was indeed someone very meritorious to their family. She was the one who covered almost all of Kazui's living expenses—school fees, books, uniforms, even the rent for the flat where Kazui lived. The flat was located on the 5th floor of an old but well-maintained building, not too far from the hospital, only about a ten-minute walk. Anna and Kazui's mother had been friends for a very long time, since they were teenagers.
Kazui actually often felt guilty and really wanted to do something—anything—to repay Anna's kindness. Every time he brought it up, trying to offer to work part-time or help with anything, Anna always refused.
"Just spend your time focusing on school. Study diligently. No need to think about money or paying for anything," Anna said at the time with a sincere smile. "Maybe after you graduate later, if you want, you can help me work at this hospital. That's more than enough for me."
"According to Mother..." Kazui placed the small empty plate on the table. "What kind of child am I? I'm clearly different from Reno, right?"
His mother's expression changed slightly when she heard Reno's name mentioned. She fell silent for a moment, then smiled gently.
"Mother is very sure you will never become like him. You really resemble your father back then!"
Kazui laughed softly while taking the last apple slice. "Well, of course. I am his child after all. I'll never become like Reno. That's for sure."
"Kazui, listen to Mother carefully. Every kindness you do in this world will surely be repaid with challenges, or even a big problem. But don't misunderstand, son." She raised her hand slightly, as if emphasizing her words. "Just because a problem comes doesn't mean the world hates you. It's not a curse. It's just a test of life, just like what your father experienced before."
"Your father was a Sage whose life had to fight against dangerous monsters. His death... that was a noble death. A death that brought peace to many people. A death that will make him peaceful and at ease in the afterlife."
"Your father never once hated or got angry at the challenges and problems this world gave him. Instead, he always smiled broadly while saving people who needed to be saved. With his extraordinary light power, he managed to do all that. He was a true hero."
"I never said I hate the world or the problems that come." He smiled slightly. "Whatever comes before me, I'll face it with my head held high. I'm ready to face any challenge or problem. Nothing will make me back down."
"Look at that, Mother's child... You've really grown to be like your father now. Exactly like him when he was your age!"
Kazui's father was indeed a highly respected Sage. His name was widely known for his extraordinary courage. He died while fighting one of the very strong and dangerous monsters. His death was not in vain—he managed to save hundreds of lives from that monster's brutal attack. Other Sages, the families he saved, even people who never knew him directly, all greatly respected his sacrifice. His name was remembered as a hero.
But, just because he was a Sage didn't mean his family lived wealthy. It was true, his father got paid every time he successfully completed a rescue mission or defeated a monster, but that money was never enough to make them live luxuriously or even just comfortably. Especially now, after his father's passing, that source of income was completely gone too. All that remained were memories and the struggle to survive.
"Oh right, Mother." Kazui placed the empty plate on the table. "I want to tell you something. Today I met a new student who just joined my class today. His name is Nova. I think he'd be suitable to be my friend."
Kazui's mother looked surprised.
"Friend? Wow, it's very rare for you to say that!" She smiled. "Mother knows, you have very good instincts for judging someone's character. You can always tell who's suitable to be a friend or not. It seems today you found someone special. What's he like?"
"His name is Nova. He's... the type of kid who, how should I say... doesn't really like to talk much. His face is always flat, hardly ever changes expression. That's basically what he's like."
His mother nodded slowly while smiling slightly, as if imagining the figure Kazui described. "Hmm... sounds like a child who didn't have many friends since childhood."
"Exactly right! His own sibling said that he indeed had no friends when he was little. Mother could guess from just my brief story."
His mother laughed softly. "Mother has lived long enough. Mother can read people's characters from just a few clues."
After that, the two of them spent time chatting casually about many things.
◇◇◇
Reno's Journey Home,
Meanwhile, in the same city but in a very different part—in a slum area full of old buildings and broken streets—Reno was walking alone on the cracked sidewalk toward his house.
"Damn pig! Who the hell is that new kid?! That bastard Nova! How could his punch be that strong?! I didn't see him use any power at all when he hit me earlier! What the hell was that?!"
"He absolutely cannot be forgiven! Tomorrow I'll definitely get revenge on him!" Reno shouted in frustration to the empty air.
A few minutes later, he finally arrived at his house. The scene that greeted him was just as sad and disgusting as usual—nothing had changed, no improvements. An old house with faded red brick walls, paint peeling everywhere like peeling skin, a front yard full of scattered trash—plastic bottles, torn plastic bags, wet cardboard, and various other useless items.
Reno pushed the already rotten wooden door and entered. The scene inside was even worse. Trash scattered everywhere like a landfill. Leftover rotten food piled up in the corners of the room, swarmed by disgusting buzzing small flies.
"Pig! This is all because of that clueless damn father!" Reno shouted loudly while kicking an empty bottle lying near him. The bottle hit the wall and shattered. "My life became destroyed like this all because of him! Everything's because of him!"
With his face still full of anger, he opened his worn wallet that was already torn in several parts and began counting the remaining money.
"Only 10 ringgit left?!" Reno squeezed his wallet hard. "My money's almost gone too! Damn! Looks like I have to look for scrap metal again tomorrow to sell. What kind of life is this?!"
Reno was forced to search for scrap metal every day to sell to junk dealers in order to get money for food and survive in this world. There was no other choice. No help from anyone.
"My life is really hard and torturous because of that useless father!" Reno hit the old wooden table very hard until it shook. "On top of that, I still have to pay all his stupid debts too! Debts to loan sharks, debts to neighbors, debts everywhere! Even though I've already settled all his debts completely, my life is still like a pig living in a trash pen! Nothing has changed!"
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Reno felt something strange behind him. With slow movements full of wariness, he slowly turned around.
"Was that just my feeling?" he muttered in a low voice, his eyes narrowing sharply staring toward the pitch-dark kitchen.
Then, suddenly...
"...a heart that is very dirty... very dirty indeed... very suitable for me..."
"HUH?!" Reno immediately spun around quickly, his eyes wide open.
From the dark shadows of the kitchen, a black figure the size of a large cat leaped out with unnatural movements—like moving smoke. Its eyes glowed red, and its body appeared to be made of thick black smoke that kept flowing and changing shape, never stable.
"What the hell are you?!" Reno immediately raised his hand forward quickly, and in an instant, red-orange flames blazed fiercely in his palm. "What do you want from me?! If you don't have important business, get out of my house right now before I burn you alive until you turn to ashes!"
"Unfortunately, I don't understand human language like yours at all... and you also seem not to understand my language..." The monster spoke with a strange echoing voice.
*What kind of creature is this? I don't understand its language at all. Its voice doesn't make sense!* Reno thought in panic.
"Hahaha... this is perfect... this is very suitable for me..." The monster suddenly laughed. "Now become mine, human with a very dirty heart!"
Without warning, the monster suddenly shot forward with incredibly fast speed—straight toward Reno. Reno tried to attack it with a large blast of fire from his hand, the fire blazed bright and burning hot, but the monster was too fast. Its movement was like a shadow that couldn't be caught. In the blink of an eye, the black figure shrank into a form like thin smoke and forcibly entered Reno's body through his mouth that was open from shock.
"ARGHHH! GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY BODY!" Reno screamed in pain with a pitiful voice, his hands gripping his throat hard, trying to get out whatever had entered. His body shook violently, as if possessed by something very evil.
But then...
The scream of pain suddenly stopped. Silence. No sound at all.
Reno slowly stood upright. His head was bowed. Then, slowly... he raised his head.
And then... he smiled.
But that wasn't Reno's usual smile.
"HAHAHA!... HAHAHAHAHA!" Loud laughter came out of Reno's mouth. "Now this body is mine... completely mine..."
The monster had completely taken over Reno's body. Reno's original consciousness—thoughts, feelings, memories, and soul—had been completely devoured by the monster from within, making him never able to return to himself again. The real Reno was gone. What remained was just an empty shell controlled by something evil.
By completely taking over Reno's body, the monster now had full access to all of Reno's memories—all his past memories, all the people he knew, all the places he had ever visited, all the grudges he held, and all the fire powers he possessed.