"Bullshit," he repeated, spitting the word like poison. "You think you're inevitable. You think if we live, we'll only suffer more? That it's better to die now than to try?"
Rin took a shaky breath. His shirt was torn, one side of his face stained red, but he kept going.
"That's not some truth. That's just you justifying your own cowardice."
Ethan blinked, slightly taken aback by the sheer venom in Rin's voice.
"You hide behind that twisted logic because you couldn't handle being abandoned," Rin said, stepping forward. "So now you want to play god and decide who deserves to live or die?"
He glared at the monster, then back at Ethan.
"You don't scare me," I said, steadying my breath. "You never did."
Ethan tilted his head, curious.
"Is that so?"
"You're not strong. You're just loud."
For a moment, there was silence—thick, bitter silence.
Then Ethan smiled, but this time, the edges of his grin twitched. Like it hurt to keep it up.
