Before stepping through the door, Akira paused at its threshold, just for a brief moment.
Akira stopped.
Not out of fear
But because something stirred within him.
Something that had not moved in a very long time.
He stood before the strange door, which pulsed with an unfamiliar energy. Its glow reflected in his eyes… yet his eyes reflected nothing.
They were empty.
Calm.
In a way that felt wrong.
Then
A voice emerged.
Not from outside
But from within Akira.
The voice asked,"When… was the last time you felt anything?"
…
Silence.
Then a faint laugh followed.
It wasn't heard… but it was there.
The voice continued,"You don't remember… do you?"
Akira lowered his gaze slightly.
And for a moment
Everything changed.
The memory returned.
The room was small… but the silence inside it felt even smaller.
Dim light seeped through a cracked window. The air was heavy and suffocating… and the smell of alcohol clung to the walls, the floor… and his mother's breath.
His mother sat against the wall, a bottle hanging loosely from her hand.
She wasn't looking at Akira.
She was looking through him
As if he didn't exist.
His mother spoke weakly,"Why…?"
Her voice came out hoarse.
Not angry
Just tired.
She continued,"Why are you still here…?"
The question wasn't meant for Akira.
It was meant for herself.
Akira stood in the corner.
Silent.
As always.
He didn't cry.
He didn't move.
He only watched.
His mother slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were red and exhausted.
She looked at Akira
But not like a mother.
Not even like a human.
She whispered,"You look like him…"
Then she laughed.
A broken laugh.
She added,"The same eyes…"
She paused.
Silence lingered.
Then her expression changed.
She said coldly,"But he… was strong."
Her voice hardened.
"And you…"
She stepped toward him.
"You're just… a burden."
She stopped in front of him.
Her hand rose.
But she didn't strike immediately.
It trembled
Just for a second.
"I…"
She stopped.
As if the words had abandoned her.
"I didn't want this…"
she whispered.
Then
She slapped him.
The sound was sharp.
But what followed was heavier.
His mother began to cry.
Silently.
Tears fell without a sound.
She said through her tears,"I wanted… to start over…"
She laughed again.
A laugh without hope.
"But I…"
She looked at him again.
This time
She truly looked at him.
"I couldn't even be a mother."
Silence filled the room.
His mother slowly reached her hand toward Akira
She was not raising it to strike him this time,
but to touch him.
But she stopped.
Just before reaching him.
She whispered,"Don't come near me…"
As if she feared him
Or herself.
Then
Everything broke.
Her face twisted.
Her voice rose into a scream.
"Why won't you disappear?!"
she screamed.
"Why won't you disappear like him?!"
The bottle fell from her hand—
And shattered on the floor.
She lunged toward Akira violently.
And Akira
Didn't move.
Didn't cry.
Didn't scream.
He only looked at her.
With calm eyes.
A calm that wasn't normal.
Then
She suddenly stopped.
Because she saw something in his eyes.
Not fear
But emptiness.
An emptiness deeper than her own.
"You…"
she whispered.
Her voice trembling.
"You're not normal…"
That moment
Just one moment
Was enough.
Something moved inside Akira.
Not anger.
Not pain.
But understanding.
A cold, simple understanding.
This would never stop.
Not tomorrow.
Not in an hour.
Never.
He looked at her.
And for the first time
He didn't see her as a mother.
He saw something else.
Something that made noise.
That hit.
That broke things.
And then repeated.
Akira took a step forward.
His mother didn't step back.
She staggered instead
Laughing.
Crying.
"What…?"
she whispered.
But she never finished.
Because Akira's hand moved.
Slowly.
It wasn't a strike.
It was a decision.
Then
Something stopped.
And a sound ended.
Suddenly.
Silence.
Real silence.
No screaming.
No breaking glass.
No noise.
Just stillness.
Akira stood there.
Watching.
There was no panic.
No confusion.
Only something new.
Something light
As if pressure had vanished.
He blinked once.
Then looked at his hand.
There was blood.
But Akira didn't see the blood.
He saw
Silence.
That was what had been missing.
Not love.
Not fear.
But quiet.
From that moment on
Everything changed.
Akira no longer sought safety.
He no longer feared pain.
He began searching for only one thing
A feeling.
Any feeling.
Even if it was pain.
Then
Everything returned.
The void.
The door.
The silence.
Akira stood as he was.
But now
He understood.
Why he hadn't felt anything all these years.
Because
There had never been anything
capable of killing him.
Akira smiled.
He looked at the strange door before him, his gaze steady
Without hesitation.
There was no curiosity.
No fear.
Only
A decision.
He took one final step.
And then
Akira stepped through the door.