The house was silent, but not peaceful.
In the middle of the large hall, an old man's angry voice echoed through the walls.
What are you always doing? Wasting time again? Go to your room! Right now!
The boy stood there quietly, his head slightly lowered. He did not try to explain. He did not try to defend himself. He did not even show anger on his face. It was as if he was already used to this.
The old man was his grandfather.
And the boy's name was Kairo.
Kairo turned around and walked toward his room without saying a single word. His footsteps were slow and quiet, as if he did not want anyone to notice that he even existed. He closed the door gently and lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
The room was not small, not dirty, not broken. Everything was normal. But it still didn't feel like a room where someone lived. It felt empty… cold… like a place where no one belonged.
Kairo looked at the ceiling and thought,
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does everyone get angry at me?
Why does no one love me?
What did I do wrong?
He did not cry. He had stopped crying a long time ago. When a person cries and no one comes to comfort them, they slowly learn how to stop crying.
And Kairo had already learned that.
The scene changes.
Now we see another boy. He is around the same age as Kairo. He is smiling, surrounded by people. His name was Ketlos.
Ketlos was adopted by the family, but unlike Kairo, he was loved by everyone.
Before he was adopted, people had already discovered that Ketlos had many talents. He was smart, he learned things quickly, he was good at sword training, and even his mana control was said to be special. Everyone called him a genius.
Because of that, when the family adopted him, they treated him like a treasure.
His four sisters loved him.
His two older brothers supported him.
His mother and father were always proud of him.
Even his grandfather, the same man who shouted at Kairo, would smile when he saw Ketlos.
Ketlos, come here, let me see what you learned today.
Ketlos, are you tired? Go rest.
Ketlos, you are the pride of our family.
Everywhere Ketlos went, he received love, praise, and attention.
But in the same house… lived Kairo.
The real blood of the family.
And yet, no one loved him.
It was as if he was invisible.
As if he did not belong to that family.
As if his existence did not matter.
The scene returns to Kairo's room.
Kairo was sleeping on his bed when suddenly his eyes opened. The room was dark now. Evening had already passed, and night had come.
He slowly sat up and held his stomach.
He was hungry.
Very hungry.
But no one had come to call him for dinner.
No one ever did.
Kairo quietly stood up and walked toward the kitchen. When he reached there, he saw his mother cooking food. The smell of fresh food filled the air.
For a moment, Kairo just stood there, as if he wanted to say something.
Maybe he wanted to say, Mom, I'm hungry.
Maybe he wanted to say, Can I eat with you?
Maybe he wanted to say, Mom…
But the words never came out.
His mother did not even look at him. It was as if she did not notice that her own son was standing just a few steps away.
Kairo quietly walked to the fridge, opened it slowly, and took out some bread and a bottle of milk. He did not touch the fresh food. He did not ask for anything.
He just took the bread and milk, closed the fridge, and walked back to his room.
The entire time, his mother never stopped cooking.
She never turned around.
She never called his name.
And Kairo never said a word.
Back in his room, Kairo sat on the bed, eating dry bread and drinking cold milk. The room was silent again.
While eating, a single thought came into his mind:
Maybe… it would have been better if I was never born.
He lay down again, staring into the darkness of his room.
But he did not know one thing.
The world that had given him nothing…
The family that had given him no love…
The fate that had given him only loneliness…
One day, all of it would change.
And the boy who ate dry bread alone in the dark…
Would one day make the entire world bow before him.