AKIHIRO ATLAS
Days passed... without me noticing. On the first day, I was still cautious; on the second day, that caution began to give way to habit; on the third day, I realized I had found my place within this strange order. The things we did with Magnus together weren't big, epic battles. They were more like... small interventions. Wandering through the dark corners of the city, preventing a fight from escalating, sensing something was about to go wrong and getting there in time... these were simple things. But this simplicity was harder than I had anticipated. Because every time, I was confronted with the same reality: I couldn't be everywhere at once. Still... I had come to terms with it now. I knew I couldn't save everyone, but that didn't mean I would stop trying. On the contrary, it made me strive a little harder every day.
During this process, I also began to unintentionally get to know Magnus... He was still mysterious, still didn't say much, but little details gave him away. For example, he could notice even the smallest changes in the city. We would say that a street felt "wrong" and when we went there, something would really happen. Sometimes we would change direction without saying anything, and I would follow, and a few minutes later I would understand why. This... was unsettling. But it was also impressive. And of course, I was trying my best to lighten the mood as much as I could.
Annoying him... had become a small goal in my daily routine. I was talking all the time. I was making unnecessary comments. I was saying things like, "How many people did we save today? Are you keeping score?"" Sometimes while walking, I would suddenly stop, strike dramatic poses, and say nonsense like, "This city doesn't deserve me, Magnus." Most of the time he wouldn't react, but sometimes... there would be very small reactions. A glance. A one-second pause. And I... kept going back to those moments as I captured them. Once, when I really said, "Ms. Magnus is very quiet today. Is she upset with me? " she stopped completely and looked at me for a few seconds. That look... it could have been deadly. But it wasn't. And I was still alive.
This strange balance continued like this for several days…
Until…
That night.
—
If I'm not mistaken, one month had passed.
The weather was colder. The city was quieter at that late hour of the night, but this silence wasn't peaceful; it felt more like an empty space where something was hiding. Magnus was standing by the window as usual. I, on the other hand, was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, half asleep half awake.
He spoke suddenly.
"A child has been kidnapped."
His tone hadn't changed. He was still calm. But the meaning behind it... suddenly captured my full attention.
I lifted my head with a sudden movement and in fear. Even the quilt covering me must have been frightened by my sudden movement. "What? "
"A mafia group," he said, as if talking about something ordinary. "They're planning to sell it. "
Suddenly, something tightened inside me. Fatigue vanished instantly. My eyes opened, my body tensed. "What are you saying? !" I said, quickly standing up. "Where? When? So why are we here? Get up and let's go, idiot! "
I had already started moving. I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't even thinking about it.
But then I stopped suddenly.
Because…
Something…
It didn't fit properly.
I slowly turned my head towards him. My eyebrows furrowed. "Wait a minute..." I said, my voice still hurried but with doubt in it. "How do you... know this?Magnus remained silent for a few seconds.
This…
It was longer than even he expected.
Then he tilted his head very slightly to the side, as if waiting for the question.
"I can read most kidnapping cases and similar incidents…" he said.
My eyebrows furrowed even more. "You mean I can read…? "
"They leave a mark," he said. "Thoughts. Intentions. Fear." His eyes shifted to me. "These… don't disappear."
This explanation…
It was inadequate.
And he knew it.
"It's not that simple," I said, taking a step forward. "This isn't about 'feeling' it or anything. You... you know the details." My voice hardened. "You even said you would sell it. "
There was a brief silence.
Magnus's expression didn't change.
But… It deepened. Looking into an endless, empty darkness, I suddenly felt as if I were gazing upon a dragon whose roar could shake mountains to their foundations.
"Because such things…" he said slowly, choosing his words carefully, "…proceed in a similar manner."
This sentence…
It was simple, maybe it wasn't supposed to mean much.
But the meaning within it…
It wasn't simple at all.
I paused for a moment. I took my eyes off Magnus's face.
My mind… tried to make a connection.
And it did.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"You..." I said, my voice this time lower, "...don't know these things just by 'seeing'."
He didn't answer.
But this time...
There was no need for him to answer.
A strange feeling arose within me. Surprise, doubt... and something else I couldn't explain. I looked at Magnus. He was still the same. The same calmness. The same control.
But now…
It looked different.
Still…
I shook my head.
"We'll talk later," I said sternly. "Not now. "
My vision went black. I would learn about Magnus' past, sooner or later. I wanted to know. Our encounters at the Cistern, his endless ego, the words he spoke that were supposed to mean so much... I wanted to know what was waiting for me inside him.
However, now was not the time. I am Akihiro Atlas... As always, I will prioritize saving lives.
"We will save that child first."
I turned around quickly and took a few steps. Later I realized that I was walking aimlessly and didn't know where I was going, and Magnus wasn't coming either! !
I turned around with a swift movement and took a few steps; the anger and urgency within me were the only things propelling my body forward. But within a few seconds, I realized this movement had fallen into nothingness. My steps slowed down, then came to a complete halt. My eyes fixed on a point in the darkness, but I wasn't actually seeing anything. Where was I going? Which street, which building, which direction? The reflex within me had propelled me into action, but it had provided no direction. I clenched my teeth and my breathing became labored. This was the blindness brought on by uncontrolled anger. When I slowly turned my head to check behind me, I encountered the even more frustrating sight: Magnus was still standing in front of the window. Same posture, same calmness, same dull gaze… as if what he had just said held no weight at all.
At that moment, the tension inside me transformed from aimless anxiety into clear-cut anger. I turned around and closed the distance between us in a few steps.
"What are you doing?" I said, my voice was firm but unshaken; I was releasing the pressure inside me by controlling it. "You say a child has been kidnapped. You say she will be sold. And you… are still standing here?"
Magnus turned his head toward me, but there was no change in his expression. No defense, no guilt, no desire for explanation... he just looked. This look didn't silence me; on the contrary, it forced me to speak further.
"Tell me where it is," I said this time in a clearer, more firm tone. "Let's go. We're wasting time."
There was a brief silence. But this silence... it wasn't a kind of waiting that made me feel like there wouldn't be an answer; it was a kind of waiting that made me feel like the answer that would come wouldn't be one I would like.
"I won't come."
Just one word. But that word... it echoed inside me.
"What do you mean I won't come?" I said, my eyebrows instantly furrowing. "You said this to me. You're the one who set me in motion. And now you're saying 'I won't come'?" I took another step, without taking my eyes off him. "What's the reason? Tell me."
This time, Magnus didn't answer immediately. He didn't look away from me, but I could sense his mind was elsewhere. He was weighing the significance of what he was about to say; it was obvious.
"Of someone whose hands are dirty," he said at last, his voice as calm as always, but this time with something deeper, something older, inside it. "Getting their hands dirtier still... only appears to be a continuity when looked at from the outside." However, in reality, this is not a repetition; it is an attempt to rewrite the past anew. " He paused briefly, his eyes drifting away for a moment. "And some pasts... exist not to be rewritten, but to be carried forward. To touch them again... it only serves as a reminder."
What they said wasn't a direct answer, but the meaning was impossible to miss. My eyebrows furrowed even more, and my breathing became heavier.
"We're talking about saving a child," I said, my voice this time lower but sharper. "Not from your past. "
Magnus's gaze remained fixed. But this time, there was a very slight change in it; it was as if what I said had touched him.
"Saving someone," he continued, this time in a slower, more thoughtful tone, "is not always just about the moment. Sometimes… what seeps into that moment is who you are. And if that 'someone'... has been shaped by specific actions, repeating those same actions is not about redemption... but about reminding oneself. " He took a short breath. "My presence being included in that scene... wouldn't change the outcome. It would only... throw off the balance."
These words… didn't satisfy me. But at the same time… they weren't completely meaningless either. A part of me was trying to understand these sentences. But that part wasn't dominant right now.
"This is nonsense," I said finally, squinting my eyes. "If you can help, you should. It's that simple. "
Magnus' expression didn't change, but this time his answer was more direct.
"Simple things," he said, "are often incomplete." He tilted his head very slightly to the side. "I... am helping. But not in the way you think."
This answer... it only made me even more angry. But this time, I didn't let it out. The anger I was holding inside was slowly transforming into something more intense but more controlled. I realized I couldn't make him move by forcing him. This… was his choice.
Mine too…
I had my own choice.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes for a brief moment, then opened them again.
"Location," I said, short and clear. "Address."
Magnus looked at me for a few seconds. Then, without hesitation, he spoke. The street, the building, the details—everything was clear, as if he were right there.
I nodded slightly.
I turned around.
I was about to move forward when I paused again for a moment at Magnus's infuriating voice.
"You have the power to save that child... even if you try to deny it, I see it better than you.
I turned my head toward him, glancing over my shoulder. I was looking at his face out of the corner of my eye.
He lowered his head slowly, but his eyes were still on me.
"You hating me… even doubting me… the possibility that you might be right, you think it doesn't bother me, right? You're wrong, Aki. It's just… I'm used to it. I forgot long ago what innocence looks like in this world. Or maybe... I never learned. I wrote stories about people saving others... then I wondered what tainted those stories. And sometimes curiosity... leads a person to places they would otherwise despise. "
He laughed silently, but there was no warmth in that smile.
"Now you're going. To save a child. You think you'll be cleaner than me while doing this. " He tilted his head slightly to the side. "Be it. Please be it. "
For the first time, his voice softened, almost sounding pleading.
"Because if you become like me... there will be nothing left in this universe truly worth saving."
A brief pause.
I waited to see if he would say anything else. However, not a single word more came out of his mouth in the passing seconds.
Magnus's words... they sank into me, even though I didn't want them to. There was neither disdain nor praise in his voice when he said, "You have the power to save that child"; it was as if this was a fact whose acceptance or rejection would make no difference. This disturbed me. Because he... spoke as if he knew me better than I knew myself. As if he had seen every broken thought, every dark possibility I tried to hide inside me, and silently named them. I clenched my teeth. I forced myself not to turn to him, because I knew... if I turned and looked into his eyes even for a second, I would start to understand him. And the line between understanding him and accepting him was dangerously thin.
Magnus... I still don't know what he is, but I know very well what he isn't. He's not innocent. That's certain. That suspicion about his past—children, lost lives, the possibility of being involved in dark deeds—none of it feels like mere paranoia. Deep inside me, something cold and sharp whispers that this could be real. My logic wants to reject it, because I have no proof. But my feelings... my feelings won't be silenced. And the most disturbing thing is that, despite this doubt, I couldn't detect a lie in what he said. Magnus didn't seem to be lying. Or at least, he wasn't distorting his own reality. This doesn't make him any less dangerous; on the contrary, it makes him much more frightening. Because someone who is aware of their own darkness has no boundaries—or if they do, they have already found a reason to transgress them.
Still... damn it, a small part of me, a very small part, wanted to believe him. To believe that I could remain "purer" than he was, to accept that I could choose a path contrary to his... this idea was dangerously tempting. Because if he's right, if he truly sees that power in me... then maybe this isn't just a rescue mission. Maybe this is the moment to prove the difference between me and him. But at the same time, another truth struck me: With someone like Magnus, there is no such thing as trust. To trust him means giving up control. And the moment I lose control... I get one step closer to his world. I can't risk that.
This time my steps were more controlled. But the tension inside me hadn't completely disappeared. After taking a few steps, I stopped and, turning my head slightly to the side, spoke without looking at him.
"This matter… isn't finished."
He didn't answer.
As I expected.
I opened the door, and the faint sound of the hinge breaking the silence for a moment disrupted the heavy atmosphere in the room. The silence I left behind was almost tangible; it was as if Magnus were still standing there, watching me as if he had completely understood what I was thinking and feeling, despite my failure to respond to what he said. I could have answered him. I could have blamed him, questioned him, or at least disagreed with what he said. But I didn't do any of those things. Because no matter what I said... I knew he would understand it before me. And this thought sharpened the anger within me even more. I hate that he can read me so easily.
I closed the door behind me. I had no words. Only my decision. And without saying a single word… I walked away.
I closed my eyes. My spiritual power concentrated within me; the energy flowing through my veins gathered at a point, and then... it began to exceed my limits. My body began to disintegrate; my solid form crumbled away, giving way to pure power. Light, sound, and vibration became intertwined. I was no longer a body… I was a direction, a speed, a will.
The next moment…
I transformed into lightning.
And breaking through the darkness, I rushed toward the target.
Within the speed that pierced through the night, my thoughts sharpened just as much as my body. The wind's howling was in my ears, but there was only one image in my mind: a child alone in the middle of darkness. I had never seen him, I didn't know his name, I didn't know what kind of life he lived... but that didn't change anything. Because at that moment, who he was didn't matter; what mattered was that he was alone. And loneliness... was the purest form of darkness.
"Somewhere out there..." I thought to myself, as my speed increased, "there is a child trapped in fear, being dragged along without even knowing what's happening. " This thought did not weigh heavy on my chest this time; on the contrary, it grew that familiar spark within me. Because now I knew... this feeling wasn't weakness. This was my choice.
I closed my eyes for a moment. Darkness... it would always exist. People's choices, their greed, their fears... all of these would nourish that darkness. I no longer denied it. But this did not mean that darkness was absolute. Because if someone somewhere was trying to breathe in that darkness, then there must have been something reaching them.
"I…" I murmured, my voice lost in the wind, "…will be that thing."
Now it wasn't about saving the world. It wasn't about saving everyone. These thoughts... were too big, too vague. But this... was clear. It was concrete. It was real. A child. One life. One moment.
Perhaps it was just because of what I felt for the boy whose death I caused while fighting Zagreus last month.
Or maybe I wanted to be a true hero.
"You don't know me," I thought, as if I were addressing him directly, "and I don't know you either. " The energy within me intensified further, and my speed increased. "But isn't this... already enough?"
I clenched my teeth.
"If you're in the darkness..." I continued, this time more clearly, more firmly, "...then the light must come from somewhere."
And I...
I didn't hesitate.
"This time," I thought to myself, "that light... will be me."
Because now I understood.
Saving... wasn't done for everyone.
But for an innocent person...
Everything could be done.
As the city's dark fabric crumbled away behind me at my speed, the address Magnus had given became a fixed point in my mind. When I approached the target through the buildings with the sharpness of my lightning form, the natural surroundings immediately disrupted; this was no ordinary place. A dilapidated warehouse building that looked abandoned from the outside... but the unsettling sense of order emanating from within screamed that this was a "cover-up." I slowed down. I withdrew my energy, my body stiffening again. I took care to make not the slightest sound when my feet touched the ground. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I analyzed the shadows outside the building, the movements of the men on guard, and the blind spots, one by one. The anger within me was still there, but this time I was keeping it under control; because this task required precise intervention, not a blind attack.
At the back, I found a rusty service door left partially open. It wasn't locked; this wasn't a place that required a lock. I cracked the door open a millimeter at a time and slipped inside. It was dark inside, but not silent. Conversations from far away, metal scrapes, occasional short laughs... all were part of a pattern. I moved forward slowly, synchronizing my steps with the ground and even controlling my breathing. But no matter how careful I was, the crowd inside... would eventually catch up with me. And it didn't take long.
As I rounded a corner, I made eye contact with the man standing in front of me. There was a momentary pause. That moment... was enough.
I made the first move.
Before the man's reflexes could kick in, I closed the distance and delivered a hard blow to his chin with my palm. The sound of the bone breaking was clear. I caught his body before he collapsed to the ground and quietly laid him aside. But this silence... didn't last long. The footsteps coming from behind, the shouts... I had been noticed. My vision went black. That suppressed energy within me suddenly surged.
The secrecy was over now.
I saw three men coming toward me from the other end of the corridor. They were holding guns, but I had already moved. I charged forward like lightning; it didn't take a moment for me to reach the first one. The blow I delivered to his chest sent him straight into the wall. The second man tried to shoot, but I grabbed his wrist and twisted it, hearing the bone snap. The gun fell to the ground. The third one tried to retreat, but my speed didn't allow it; I knocked him off balance with a kick to his knee, then slammed his head into the ground.
But that was just the beginning.
The sounds grew louder.
The footsteps increased.
And I… didn't stop.
My movements became more precise and harder against the men coming from every corner. I no longer defended; I neutralized them directly. Each of my punches, kicks, and lightning-fast strikes was clear and decisive. Their numbers were great, but my speed was beyond their perception... While deflecting one's attack, I struck another; I slammed the third against the wall; I knocked the fourth to the ground. The ground... became a battlefield within minutes. My breathing quickened, but my control didn't waver. Because the only thought inside me... was still the same.
The child.
When I found him... everything stopped.
He was in a small, dark room. His hands were tied, his eyes filled with fear, and he was cornered. When I opened the door, he flinched and stepped back. The light in my eyes was foreign to him. But this time... I didn't avoid that look.
I approached slowly.
I fell to my knees.
My hands trembled for the first time as I untied the bonds.
But this trembling was not from fear.
It was the weight of knowing that something had been done… right.
When I held him in my arms, I noticed how light his body was. But that lightness was weighed down by the fear he carried. I stood up, took one last look around. There was no one left. The path was clear.
People… How could anyone be so mad as to do something that would harm such an innocent, little child?
I would never understand.
"If what it means to be human—even innocence—can be shattered to hide one's fragility, then madness is not a boundary—it is the most authentic expression of one's nature."
The child looked at me with a silly expression on his face as I spoke words to myself that could be considered nonsense by anyone else.
I turned toward him and smiled, stroking his short, soft hair. Then:
I started walking towards the exit.
It was still dark at night.
But now…
That darkness…
It wasn't the same.
Suddenly, to overcome the child's fear, I decided to talk to him directly; I think if I were a parent, I would ask my child such a question.
"What do you want to be in the future, my little friend?"
The child did not respond at first. He remained silent in my arms. His breathing was irregular, and his eyes still bore the traces of fear. But as time passed, that trembling subsided. He lifted his head slightly and looked at me. There was still fear in his eyes... but beneath that, something else was forming. Thought. He remained silent for a long time. As if he had to truly answer this question for the first time. His lips parted, then closed again. A few more seconds passed. And finally…
"I want to be a hero and save everyone."
Oh…
"Me too."
11 YEARS AGO
Just before we arrived at the field, I was watching him walking a few steps ahead of me. Mizu, as always, attracted attention, but he made not the slightest effort to show it off. Her blonde hair, reaching down to her shoulders, swayed gently in the evening wind, and the last rays of the sun broke through it, leaving a faint glow as if within its strands. Their eyes... were always that clear, crisp blue hue; when they looked at something, it gave the impression of seeing directly through its surface rather than just its exterior. The clothes they wore were also in harmony with them; A style dominated by blue tones, simple yet making it stand out even more. Neither exaggerated nor ordinary... exactly like her.
Physically, it was impossible not to see the difference between us. He was much taller than me, his shoulders were broad, and his body had taken on a shape through years of habit. His muscles were defined, but this structure was functional rather than showy. When he stepped onto the field, the balance of the environment shifted; this wasn't so much about his power as it was about the weight of his presence. People unconsciously looked at him, treating the space he occupied with a bit more seriousness. Yet despite this, there was no attempt to assert dominance in his walk or posture. As if being strong... wasn't something extra for him, but a natural state.
And maybe that's why...
Playing against him...
It always felt different.
The sun had begun to set towards the end of the day, and the light shining on the court had turned from harsh to a soft orange. The shadows lengthening across the asphalt ground converged towards the basket, giving the impression that even the fatigue of the day was gathering on this small court. Every time the ball hit the ground, it was the only rhythm that echoed through that space. Our breathing, the friction of the shoes, the bounce of the ball... all were part of a whole. But even within this wholeness, there was an imbalance. My actions... were flowing. I wasn't thinking, I was just doing. Every step I took, every move I made, found its place perfectly, as if it had been calculated in advance. The person standing before me, however, was left outside this flow.
Mizu.
My brother.
While bouncing the ball with my right hand, I fixed my eyes on him. Tiredness was clearly visible on his face. His shoulders slumped, his breathing grew heavy, but his eyes still refused to give up. That look... it seemed familiar to me from my childhood. A look that never gives up, never backs down, pushes until the end. But that day... when that look was directed at me, the outcome didn't change. A momentary hesitation passed through me. I knew I would overcome it. Again. But still... I paused for a second.
Then I moved.
I took a step to the right, quickly changing direction and taking the ball to my left. Mizu tried to react reflexively, turning her body in that direction, but the split-second delay decided everything. As I passed her, I felt her shoulder lightly touch mine. This contact... reminded me that he was still there, but at the same time... that I couldn't reach him. I headed towards the basket. When my feet left the ground, time slowed down for a moment. The ball was in my hand, my eyes were fixed on the hoop.
I stopped shooting.
The clear sound of the ball passing through the nets... that was the final moment.
When I regained my footing, everything returned to normal. The ball bounced a few times and then stopped. I looked back. Mizu was still where she had been. She was kneeling, her hands on her legs, trying to catch her breath. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. The expression on his face... he was tired. But he wasn't angry. This... it always happened this way. He would lose, he would get tired... but when he looked at me, there was never any resentment in him.
I slowly walked towards him. After a few seconds, he sat up, then came over in slow steps and sat down next to me. We both collapsed onto the asphalt. The hard ground felt strangely soothing at that moment. The sun had sunk lower, and the wind was blowing gently. None of us spoke for a while. We just… breathed.
Mizu leaned her head back and stared at the sky. For a few seconds, he only took deep breaths. Then a slight smile formed at the corners of his lips. This smile... was a familiar thing. He was someone who could smile even when he lost.
"Really…" he said, his voice still tired but with a warm undertone, "I thought this would stop at some point."
I turned my head toward him and raised my eyebrows slightly. "What?"
"You know, that thing about..." he continued, waving his hand vaguely in the air, "...learning everything on your first try. You'd have to be the most talented person in the world! "
I fell silent for a moment. I didn't know what to say. Because for him, it was a "one-time thing"... but for me... it's always been like this. It was natural.
Mizu let out a short laugh, then shook his head. "You've only just started playing basketball," she said. "And I... I've been playing for years." He turned her eyes to me. "But still... you're pulling ahead. It's the same, like many things we've tried before with you, or like our school lessons."
There was no reproach in that sentence. Rather, there was... acceptance.
I bowed my head slightly. "I'm just… playing."
"Yes," he said quickly, "that's the problem." He laughed lightly. "You're 'just playing'… but everyone else is… struggling."
This time I was silent.
There was silence for a while longer. The wind had begun to blow a little cooler. The sun was approaching the horizon, and the sky was slowly changing color. Mizu placed her hands behind her back and leaned back slightly. She fixed her eyes on the sky again.
"So..." he said after a while, his voice this time calmer, more thoughtful, "since you can do everything so easily..."
A short pause.
"What will you be in the future, my little genius and naturally gifted brother?"
The question… was simple. But the tone… wasn't.
This wasn't just a random question. That was... something he really wanted to know.
I slowly lifted my eyes to the sky. At that moment, the sky seemed limitless to me. As if no matter what I put into it, it wouldn't be enough. Something stirred inside me. This wasn't a thought. More like... a feeling.
Something I've felt before.
But this is the first time...
I was going to put it into words.
"I want to be a hero and…" I said slowly, the words forming naturally as they left my lips, "…save everyone. "
The sentence hung in the air.
It was a simple sentence.
But it weighed heavily on me.
Mizu didn't say anything for a few seconds. He just looked at me. There was no sarcasm in that look. Nor was there any surprise.
There was only... the thought.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Of course…" he said, nodding slightly. "What else could you be, anyway?"
As a result, I was extremely upset; my family usually made decisions on my behalf. Whatever my father said went. If he wanted to impose the punishment of not giving me food for days again, as I had previously endured when I barely missed getting the highest grade, I couldn't bear it a second time.
"But whatever my father wants me to be, that's what I'll be, right?"
Mizu's smile faded away, and she approached me. Once he was right in front of me, she placed her right hand on my head and stroked my hair.
"You can be whatever you want to be, Aki. You are my brother, and I won't let anyone else dictate your life, even if it's our father. "
I think something broke in my chest. It didn't hurt. On the contrary... it eased it. It was as if I had taken off armor that had been forcibly put on me for the first time, rather than a burden I had been carrying for a long time.
The burning in my eyes was normal. But this time, I didn't want to run away.
Because this... wasn't weakness.
This... was presence.
I took a step towards him. My legs didn't even hesitate. It was as if I was walking on my own for the first time, not like a shadow being guided by someone.
And then… my arms moved.
I didn't think anything while hugging him. Neither right nor wrong. Neither "appropriate" nor "inappropriate".
I just… held him.
It's like if I let go, it will disappear again.
I found it... I thought to myself.
I really... found it.
My throat tightened. It wasn't easy to say, but I said it anyway, my voice trembling:
"Thank you... brother."
Even saying that word felt strange. It was like it was something that truly meant something for the first time.
And that's when I realized...
For the first time, my life felt like it belonged to me.
END OF CHAPTER