"Mom! Look, they did it again! The Executors defeated the bad guys again. They're awesome!"
He heard the same cheers every week.
The same phrase. The same moment. A routine as natural as breathing. No matter the situation or the time of day, the sun always seemed to shine at this exact instant, bathing everything in a warm, almost translucent golden light. It was so cozy it made him feel alive, if only for a second.
Heartfelt laughter rang through the street. Everyone celebrated together, voices intertwining as if they had survived death itself. Some even shed tears of joy.
A perfect scene.
Like a painting of a happy family, reflected faintly in the cold blue of Sila's eyes.
In that frame, he was a stranger.
Forced to live in the shadows. Allowed only to watch, never to step into their world. No matter how many times he saw it, his chest tightened.
Ego.
It was a perfect name for this small town. Here, no one cared about you if you were even slightly different, even if you were their own kind. No matter how much you tried to show yourself, you would always be an outsider.
Beside him, a soft, constant kshhh hummed from the old TV. It broadcast the same victory he had already seen a dozen times.
"Our heroes have yet again defeated the Tar. From our sources, we know that this time the Executors suffered no casualties, which is very fortunate. Perhaps this is the moment we can finally wipe out these monsters."
Heroes on a screen.
Monsters in real life.
And people like him, stuck in between.
Sila's eyes drifted to his reflection.
Pale. Cold.
Blue like ice, almost glacial. Stripped of warmth, yet impossible to ignore.
He hated them.
People always stared. His sharp features drew attention whether he wanted it or not. Obsidian hair, glacial eyes, pale skin that caught the sunlight too easily. It felt wrong. Disgusting.
Seeing them smile without a care in the world made his blood run cold.
They feared him.
Knowing that didn't ease the ache. Even as a monster, he deserved a life of pride. A life of freedom.
And yet… he was afraid.
Not of violence. Not of the world.
But of stepping into it.
Of failing. Of being untested.
The fear twisted in his stomach like something alive, but he did not let it show. He had learned long ago that fear could be contained.
"Have you decided? Are you coming with me to the capital?"
Axil's voice was calm, measured, unshakable.
One of the higher-ranking officers, known for seeing what others overlooked. Even in civilian clothing, his presence drew attention. Sunlight caught in his golden hair, his posture making him seem taller than he already was. Confidence radiated from him without effort.
His aura was a steady, blinding white. The mark of a Pure Resonance.
It was the kind of power that made people feel safe.
Sila looked down at his own hands. Pale, almost translucent. When he grew nervous, his palms did not sweat. They burned, dry and blistering, leaving his fingertips feeling like ice.
A few days ago, this man had appeared before him and offered him a place among the Executors. A chance, based on nothing but talent.
Sila still didn't know what Axil truly wanted.
But he was right.
Staying here would do nothing for him.
Remaining in Ego meant wasting the only opportunity he had to become something more.
As Axil stepped closer, the difference between them became clear. Sila was seventeen, still growing. The man in front of him towered over him, at least two heads taller.
The presence alone was overwhelming.
For the first time in a long while, Sila felt his heart hammer against his chest.
His palms itched.
His stomach tightened.
He drew in a steady breath.
Fear whispered.
He ignored it.
He would move forward anyway.
That was who he was.
Calm when it mattered. Decisive. Willing to take responsibility, even for things he did not fully understand.
Sila looked up and met Axil's gaze.
Golden-brown eyes. Steady. Exacting.
There was warmth there. And command. As if Axil was weighing him without needing to say a word.
I'll come with you.
The thought settled firmly in his mind.
He thought of the names he had heard on the news. Names like Dravis, the clan that never left a job unfinished. If he wanted to survive among people like that, he could not remain a shadow.
This was a hard choice.
Maybe the hardest he had ever made.
But he had never been reckless.
He had learned patience. Selflessness. The quiet courage to stand firm even when fear tried to pull him back.
"Good. Then we move immediately. Do you have anything to pack?"
Axil's smile was faint, but approving. Like sunlight slipping through clouds. He did not push. He simply assumed Sila would follow.
"No. I have nothing to take with me."
Sila's voice was quiet, but firm.
Despite living in Ego his entire life, he truly owned nothing. Nothing but his choices, his thoughts, and his hands.
That was enough.
Axil nodded once, acknowledging the answer without comment. Pride, patience, and expectation all in a single motion.
Then he turned and stepped into the street.
Sila followed.
The sun caught Axil's hair as they walked, turning it into liquid gold under the morning light.
For the first time, Sila did not feel trapped.
He walked forward as someone who had made a decision.
Not a shadow in someone else's frame.
The sun followed them as they made their way toward the train station.
For the last time, Sila glanced back at the place that should have been his home.
His expression did not change.
Flat. Distant.
As if there had never been anything worth holding onto.
Maybe there hadn't been.
This was goodbye.