Silence, this time, was not emptiness.
It was weight.
As if the world itself sat between them,
waiting for one of them to admit something
that could not be taken back.
Kim was standing,
his chest rising and falling without rhythm,
the black veins still…
the stillness before collapse.
Nir stood before him.
And his eyes…
they were no longer tearing up.
They were bleeding.
Drops fell from Nir's eyelids.
Kim was startled.
Then Nir lifted his head
and said to Kim:
"This is not the only reason people like us are exiled.
We are also exiled because we have many flaws.
Do not speak to me like this, Kim,
when you do not know our truth.
We were created without perfection.
We are deformed,
not like you.
You are complete.
You possess power—
great power.
As for us,
we were created without power,
and if we have any,
it is cursed,
killing us for using even a little of it.
Do not speak of pain
when you do not know what we feel.
You have a family—
when you wake up,
you find them smiling at you,
feeding you.
As for me…
my family never loved me.
They never smiled at me.
They did not feed me well.
No one treated me kindly,
and my siblings did not love me either.
I was born into a noble family,
and yet…
is the blessing of a child a sin?
They tried to get rid of me more than once,
in cruel ways,
until they grew tired of it."
Nir removed his clothes.
"Look, Kim…"
There were many wounds,
cracks,
symbols,
and words.
"It reached the point where my family
allowed a demon to possess me
to kill me
without any guilt.
I resisted,
and I ran away,
because this planet
is not within their borders or authority."
Nir was crying as he continued:
"If they did not want me,
why did they give birth to me, Kim?"
Then Nir fell to the ground,
bowing his head,
and said:
"This hurts…
Everyone knows how to give birth,
but no one knows
how to be a father or a mother.
Are we created
for pleasure?
For amusement?"
The ground beneath Nir's feet was wet.
It was not rain.
It was blood.
Kim did not move.
He could not.
Then he noticed them…
footprints.
Many of them.
Blood flowing across the soil.
Nir slowly lifted his head…
his eyes widened.
He saw countless footprints
and blood spreading across the ground.
He raised his gaze upward
and froze.
He stood up quickly,
shouting at Kim:
"What happened, Kim?
Are you okay?
Biath?
Did you do this?"
Biath stood silent,
shocked,
behind Kim.
He was not moving.
He stood behind Kim,
his eyes fixed on his back.
Not fear…
but delayed realization.
Kim lowered his head slowly.
His voice came out faint,
as if from the bottom of a well.
He said softly to Nir:
"Look, Nir…
Is there something wrong with me?
Isn't there?
Am I better than you?"
He laughed mockingly.
"I was once human,
and I kept moving forward
despite countless obstacles.
Life insisted
that I fail,
until it won…
and I lost everything.
My humanity.
And look…"
Kim tore open part of his chest.
"There is no heart inside me.
I removed it.
Impossible, isn't it?
And I lost my family.
You're right…
I am better than you,
stronger than you.
Why don't we make a deal?
I will give you all my power
and everything I have.
I do not ask for much—
just one thing in return.
Can you bring my family back to life?
Please…
I am tired of living.
Come on…
Is that too hard?
Alright…
let's make it smaller.
Can you bring my mother back—just her?
Please…
I will give you my life too.
Come on…
Why are you silent, Nir?
I know you are not a god,
nor a ruler,
nor a king.
But please…
I am exhausted.
I want to die."
The air was suffocating—
not because of power,
but because of words.
Nir did not answer.
He could not.
He murmured sadly toward Kim.
He had never known he was worse than him,
but he never spoke of it.
He only cried,
because he never truly understood his friend,
never felt what was inside him.
Sorrow—
because he called himself Kim's friend
yet never felt
the pain inside him.
Kim stepped closer.
He placed his hand on his empty chest.
He looked at Nir with broken eyes,
then said:
"Don't you feel the pain
in my chest, Nir?"
Nir replied:
"No…
I didn't feel it.
But now…
yes, I do.
We are cursed by life,
and that hurts."
At that moment…
Kim was not the only one who collapsed.
Something inside him
moved.
Not like rage—
but like a conscious question.
If you have no heart…
then why do you still feel?
And if they are deformed…
who decided the shape of perfection?
The hands of the clock in Kim's left eye
trembled.
The seal did not pulse—
it listened.
And somewhere far away,
beyond the borders of this forgotten world,
something opened its eye.
Not a full ruler,
but one who counts errors.
A voice was not heard,
but the truth arrived:
"An anomaly does not seek power…
but explanation."
Kim slowly raised his head.
He no longer asked for death.
He no longer asked for salvation.
But…
for an answer.
Why am I alive?
For what was I born?