It all began with 'him' comparing himself to others.
Desperately trying to overcome his lack of natural talent through nothing but sheer hard work.
Just so one day, his parents would look at him with love and affection too—praise him too, just like his two older siblings.
Even though he knew some people were just born gifted, unlike him, who was born inferior—with a weak mind that struggled to grasp what others found effortless.
Yet, where did all of this lead him?
He, Zaphyr Wales, doesn't know...
Currently, sitting in a prison cell, on a cold, uncomfortable plastic chair, facing his only older brother who had handed him a paper that would erase his name from the family register. A document that would ensure his pathetic existence would not tarnish their perfect image. He could do nothing but let out a desperate, bitter smile.
Zephyr opened his dry lips, and then a low, deep, mellow whisper echoed from them.
"Big brother...? Are you still there?"
No response. Nothing at all. He knew the other was still present; he could sense his breathing, the faint sounds of how the latter shifted uncomfortably in his chair, likely not used to sitting on such a dirty seat. It's just Zephyr couldn't see him. The only thing his blank eyes could see was a big, dark lump sitting amidst his world of gray.
After the long, uncomfortable silence, his older brother finally spoke. Yet... the cruel words that followed shattered his already tattered heart into even smaller pieces.
"Just sign the document. This world has changed. Therefore, we can't let the public know that one of the strongest families in City M has a dark stain. It's just a formality. However, I came personally because I have a meeting on the way. I will transfer enough money to your account to live on after you have served your time in prison."
Zephyr's fingers trembled as he traced the edges of the document in his grip. His eyes lowered as he uncapped the pen in his grip. Placing the paper on the table, he fumbled to find the spot where he had to sign.
When he couldn't, his brother guided his hand to the correct place, uttering coldly:
"Sign."
He paused for a second as the grip guiding his hand tightened painfully. Slowly raising his head, he looked at the man before him.
"Brother... I wonder, what kind of face are you making? Sadness? Guilt? Or... disgust?"
He muttered softly. The hand holding his stiffened, but he didn't stop. He wanted to pour out all his grievances, everything, now that he was being completely abandoned.
"No one knows, but I do. It was you who committed the crime—accidentally killing someone. Yet I was the one sent to prison by our parents, just so your bright future wouldn't be tainted by that stain."
Zaphyr couldn't see, but he knew the man sitting before him was grinding his teeth.
"How's our older sister doing? She must be doing great. I heard she's very famous now. Hopefully, she is happy with the sight I gave her—my eyes, which now let her witness the beautiful world… because I no longer can."
Silence. That was all he got. Still, he continued. He kept going. Stubbornly.
"Still, brother, even after going through so much, I never gave up on you all. You know why? It's because I believed we were family. You were my family. I thought I should help pave your way to greatness, because I was useless… just like Mom always said—"
Finally, a cold voice cut him off.
"Stop whining. You're useless anyway. The only thing you've ever done for this family is be a burden. So what if you sacrificed a bit for your siblings? Huh? You gonna act like you deserve something for it?"
Zaphyr's eyes flickered with pain.
His trembling fingers clenched the pen in his grip so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Then, a calm smile graced his lips.
"Yes, you're right. You're right. That's why I have decided to give up, brother. Tell Mom and Dad that everything I have done for the family so far—consider it repayment... For giving birth to me, for feeding me, clothing me, schooling me… when I was young."
With that, he signed the document with an elegant signature. Even though Zaphyr was blind, his handwriting remained clean—the only thing he had ever been proud of.
Still, he simply signed his name: Zaphyr.
No surname. With that, his last tie to his family was finally severed in this life.
"Goodbye. I hope we never cross paths again, because we are no longer family."
Zaphyr remained seated in his chair, even as he heard the scraping of the other chair and sensed the dark figure before him leave the room. He didn't move.
Only when the prison guard informed him that his family visitation time was over did he stand up. With the help of a metal pole, he started walking back to his prison cell.
And then it happened—a sudden commotion erupted around him.
Zaphyr tried to make sense of what was going on, but the chaos was overwhelming.
Shouts, frantic footsteps pounding against the floor, people running in panic, some even shoving past him in desperation.
Disoriented, all he could do was call out to the prison guard who should have been following him and stand still as the storm unfolded around him.
Through the noise, he managed to catch a few panicked words before everything spiraled further out of control.
"A dungeon break has occurred!"
"Monsters! Ah—help!"