Several weeks later...
The house had finally begun to feel peaceful again.
For months, Daniel's family had lived beneath a cloud of fear.
Light's collapse.
The hospital.
The operation.
Four months of silence.
And finally...
Light waking up.
It had taken time for everyone to recover from what had happened.
Even now, neither Daniel nor Light was completely healthy.
The doctors had strictly instructed both of them to rest.
No intense training.
No unnecessary physical activity.
No pushing themselves beyond their limits.
For Daniel, that last instruction was probably the hardest one.
And for Light...
Resting was becoming incredibly boring.
That night, Light lay awake beneath his blankets.
The room was silent.
Moonlight slipped through the curtains and rested softly across the floor.
Light stared at the ceiling.
His mind refused to become quiet.
Coma...
The word continued repeating itself inside his head.
So I slept for four months, huh...?
His eyes narrowed slightly.
I didn't even know something like that could exist.
Four months.
An entire season of his life had disappeared.
People had continued living.
Days had passed.
The weather had changed.
And yet Light had experienced none of it.
To him...
It had felt like closing his eyes for a moment.
His thoughts slowly returned to the last thing he remembered.
All I remember is walking down that pink, flowery path after that boring day at school...
Then...
Nothing.
Light's eyes suddenly widened.
A memory flashed through his mind.
A figure.
Bright sunlight.
A familiar smile.
And then—
Daniel collapsing.
Light immediately sat upright in bed.
Father...
His expression changed.
What happened to Father?!
His heart began to beat faster.
Why did he look so pale and tired?
Light remembered it clearly now.
Daniel had looked different.
Weak.
Exhausted.
Almost as if his body had been carrying something far heavier than usual.
He passed out in front of me that day too...
Light slowly lowered his head.
What the hell happened?
That question remained in his mind throughout the night.
What had happened to his father?
Why was Daniel hospitalized?
And why did nobody seem willing to explain anything?
The next morning...
Light had barely waited for the sun to rise.
The moment he saw Daniel awake, he grabbed his notebook and pen.
Daniel sat lazily on the couch, his hair completely messy.
He looked half asleep.
Light approached him.
Daniel glanced toward his son.
"Hmm?"
Light quickly began writing.
His handwriting was still messy.
After a few seconds, he turned the notebook toward Daniel.
What happened to you, Dad?
Daniel stared at the words.
His sleepy expression immediately changed.
"Ah..."
Daniel rubbed the back of his head.
"About why I was hospitalized?"
Light nodded.
Daniel remained silent.
If he learns about the experiment...
Daniel looked toward Light.
He's going to blame himself.
His expression softened.
I can't let that happen.
Daniel suddenly smiled.
"Ah! Yes!"
Light blinked.
Daniel pointed toward himself.
"I gave you blood."
Light stared at him.
Daniel continued.
"Apparently, you didn't have enough blood in your body."
Light's expression remained completely blank.
Daniel began nodding to himself.
"Yeah. That was the problem."
Bosvel, sitting nearby, slowly turned his head toward Daniel.
Daniel continued speaking.
"And you know what?"
Light narrowed his eyes.
Daniel pointed accusingly toward him.
"This is why I told you to eat your beetroots!"
Light blinked again.
"You always avoid beetroots!"
Daniel crossed his arms.
"Yes. Beetroots. Very important."
Silence filled the room.
Bosvel stared at Daniel.
Is that seriously the best excuse you could come up with...?
He slowly sighed.
Light looked at Daniel.
Then at Bosvel.
Then back at Daniel.
His reason seems convincing...
Light slowly lowered his eyes.
But...
His expression became suspicious.
Is that how people look after donating blood?
Light thought about Daniel's pale face.
His exhaustion.
The hospital.
I don't think so...
Light slowly raised his head again.
Daniel was smiling awkwardly.
Light's eyes narrowed.
Does he take me for a fool just because I'm a kid?
Light scoffed.
Daniel giggled.
"Did you learn that from your aunt?"
Light immediately turned away.
Daniel laughed quietly.
But even as he watched Light walk away...
Daniel's smile slowly disappeared.
Light was suspicious.
And Daniel knew his son well enough to understand something.
Light would not forget this.
The room became silent after Light disappeared into the hallway.
Daniel slowly looked toward Bosvel.
His expression had completely changed.
"Bose..."
Bosvel immediately understood that Daniel was serious.
"Yes, sir?"
Daniel lowered his voice.
"Burn everything."
Bosvel's eyes narrowed.
"The documents?"
Daniel nodded.
"Every document regarding his coma."
Daniel paused.
"And the experiment."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.
Bosvel remained silent.
Daniel stared toward the hallway where Light had disappeared.
"Nobody should know about this."
Bosvel slowly nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"I'll inform the hospital staff as well."
Daniel nodded.
"Not the media."
His eyes lowered.
"Not anyone else."
Daniel remained silent for a moment.
Then he quietly added:
"Not Light."
Bosvel looked toward his friend.
He knew why Daniel was doing this.
Daniel didn't want Light to live with guilt.
Not after everything.
Not after sacrificing five years of his life believing that death was waiting for him.
Bosvel quietly nodded.
"I understand."
Later that day...
The documents were gone.
The evidence of the experiment disappeared into fire.
Papers containing medical records.
Reports.
Research.
Everything.
The flames slowly consumed the pages.
And with every document that disappeared...
The truth became more deeply buried.
But some secrets...
Were never meant to stay buried forever.
Meanwhile...
Elsewhere in Japan.
Tokyo.
A completely different family lived beneath the same sky.
A family of two.
A father...
And his son.
In some ways, they were similar to Daniel and Light.
There was no mother.
There was only a father trying to care for his child.
But unlike Daniel...
This father was not a martial artist.
He was a scientist.
A brilliant one.
And his son...
Had spent his entire life being stared at.
His name was...
Yamai Rin.
Rin had been born with a severe form of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a congenital condition involving multiple joint contractures and abnormal muscle development. His body had developed differently, leaving several of his joints fixed and his movements unusual. Despite his physical limitations, Rin could hear, speak, think, and move independently, though his body forced him to do many ordinary things differently from other children. (PubMed Central (PMC))
People stared.
Children whispered.
Adults sometimes looked away.
Others didn't bother hiding their curiosity.
Rin had grown used to it.
Or at least...
He had learned to pretend that he had.
His father had always tried to protect him.
But there were some things that even a brilliant scientist could not protect his son from.
Cruelty.
Judgment.
Loneliness.
That evening...
Rin sat alone inside the living room.
The room was large.
Much larger than the room Light had once slept in at the orphanage.
The family was financially comfortable.
Books filled several shelves.
Scientific journals were stacked across a table.
Various research papers rested beside expensive equipment.
Rin's father's work had provided them with a comfortable life.
But money couldn't change the way people looked at Rin.
Rin slowly reached for the television remote.
His movements were unusual but practiced.
He had spent his entire life learning how to adapt to his own body.
Finally...
Click.
The television flickered to life.
Light from the screen reflected across the room.
Rin stared at it without much interest.
News.
Politics.
Business.
Advertisements.
Nothing interesting.
Then suddenly...
The screen changed.
Rin's eyes stopped moving.
A woman appeared on the television.
Behind her was a large image of an unfinished building.
"Today, a major Japanese conglomerate announced the upcoming inauguration of its newest shopping complex—"
Rin's attention slowly sharpened.
The news reporter continued.
"The event is expected to attract several influential figures from across the country and abroad."
Images of the enormous shopping complex appeared.
A massive structure.
Glass walls.
Modern architecture.
Luxury stores.
Everything about it looked expensive.
Rin continued watching.
Then the reporter smiled.
"And according to the organizers, there are discussions about inviting an internationally renowned athlete as a special guest for the inauguration ceremony."
The screen changed once again.
A photograph appeared.
Rin froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
The remote slowly slipped from his hand.
There he was.
Black hair.
A familiar face.
A confident smile.
The man who had appeared countless times across newspapers and television screens.
Daniel.
The King of Heaven.
One of the most famous fighters in the world.
Rin stared silently at the screen.
The reporter continued speaking.
"Daniel, the internationally recognized martial artist known for his achievements across multiple combat disciplines, is currently residing in Japan with his family."
The image changed.
Daniel appeared during an old interview.
Laughing.
Smiling.
Surrounded by people.
Applause echoed from the television speakers.
Rin didn't move.
He simply stared.
Daniel.
Everything about him seemed...
Wrong.
Not because Daniel had done anything wrong.
But because Daniel seemed to possess everything Rin could never imagine having.
A healthy body.
Strength.
Talent.
Fame.
Admiration.
Freedom.
Rin watched Daniel move across the screen.
Every movement looked effortless.
Every smile attracted people.
Every achievement was celebrated.
Rin slowly lowered his eyes.
Then he looked at his own hands.
His fingers rested differently.
His joints were stiff.
His body had never moved the way he wanted it to.
He slowly looked back toward the screen.
Daniel was laughing again.
People loved him.
Rin remained silent.
He didn't hate Daniel.
Not yet.
Hatred was too simple.
Instead...
Rin felt something far more confusing.
Admiration.
Curiosity.
And somewhere deep inside...
A question.
What does it feel like...?
Rin's eyes remained fixed on Daniel.
What does it feel like to live like him?
The television continued playing.
Outside, the streets of Tokyo remained alive beneath the evening lights.
Cars passed.
People laughed.
The world continued moving.
And somewhere within that enormous city...
Daniel lived peacefully with his family.
Completely unaware that, several kilometers away...
Another boy was staring at his face on a television screen.
The reporter's voice continued.
"The organizers have stated that an official invitation has not yet been sent."
Rin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"But negotiations are currently underway."
The image of the shopping complex appeared once more.
A grand inauguration.
A wealthy conglomerate.
A special guest.
And one name was being considered.
Daniel.
The television slowly faded into another news segment.
But Rin didn't change the channel.
He continued staring at the screen.
His reflection faintly appeared against the dark glass.
For the first time that night...
Rin smiled.
Not a happy smile.
Not exactly.
It was simply...
A thought.
A possibility.
Somewhere in Tokyo...
The lives of two boys had begun moving toward the same man.
One saw Daniel as his father.
The other...
Saw something he could never become.
And neither of them knew it yet.
But the story had already begun moving.
Toward an ending.
And toward an inheritance...
That would eventually curse them all.