The kitten fell.
And it was its last.
Aarav clutched onto the rock, still on the ground, his limbs frozen in shock. It was too late.
The growling dog had its prey.
With a vicious snap, it tore the little thing in two. In less than three seconds, it was over. The kitten's guts spilled onto the dirt, glistening in the faint morning light. Aarav had been too slow to react, but his grip tightened around the stone in his hand.
The predator still held the tiny corpse in its mouth—its lower half barely clinging to its other half. But what disturbed Aarav the most was that…
Its limbs were still moving.
Its little mouth was still opening and closing—silent, desperate.
Rage. Hatred. Paranoia.
They consumed him.
He hurled another rock, this time with all his strength. It struck the dog's forehead with a sickening crack. The beast twitched—then fell still. Dead.
Aarav dragged himself toward the kitten.
It was clinging to life—its tiny body severed, its glassy eyes flickering, its last movements trembling as if it were trying to crawl toward him.
Aarav's breath hitched. His body went cold.
He ripped off his mask, turned away, and dragged himself a few feet away from the dying kitten. Then, he vomited—his stomach wrenching, his throat burning, bile stinging his lips.
Was he disgusted? Was he sad? He wasn't sure.
He lay on the grass, sucking in deep, ragged breaths.
Numb. Numb.
His face held no expression. No emotion.
He turned his head slightly, just enough to see it one last time.
The kitten had finally been freed from its anguish.
Aarav, on the other hand…
His mind, void of all emotions, stood up as if his ankle and its pain had never been real.
Without a word, he pulled off his black hood and gently wrapped the poor little corpse in it.
Then, he turned and walked toward his house.
He took a shovel.
And he dug.
And dug.
The cold earth parted beneath his hands as he carved out a grave, his movements steady, mechanical. Finally, he laid the kitten down, covering it with soil, feeling as if he were burying a part of himself along with it.
He stood there, silent.
In his black t-shirt, his broad shoulders and muscular arms exposed, his bangs falling over one eye—he looked like a tragic knight who had lost everything.
There was a void in his gaze as he stared at his hands, now stained with blood.
Slowly, he moved toward the sink, turning on the faucet. The water ran clear for a moment, then turned red as it washed away the remnants of what had just happened.
Without another glance, he stepped back into his room, opening his closet. His hands moved without thought as he reached for a leather jacket.
He had already given his previous one to the poor kitten.
As he left again, carrying the same bag and gym bag, he tried to slip back into his normal routine. But just as he was about to step out, his mother stopped him. Without even looking at him, she began to scold him.
"I told you not to get too close to that kitten! You separated it from its mother—"
Her words faltered the moment she turned to face him.
She looked in his bloodstained face, his limp, his exposed expression without the mask.
A tear slipped from her eye.
"Again?" Her voice softened, laced with a quiet pain. "Why do you keep doing these things if you can't even keep yourself safe?"
She took a shaky breath before continuing.
"You know better than anyone that your uncle and I are struggling to keep the catering business running after your father. It's barely profitable anymore. We can hardly manage to survive."
Aarav's calm exterior cracked the moment she mentioned his uncle.
His emotions twisted—turning into raw, seething wrath.
She continued, her voice breaking with frustration.
"Why? Why do you have to do this? Why can't you just focus on your academics and your gym? And of course, half of what's left in this family, you waste every bit of it on your stupid powders!"
Her voice rose, her emotions spilling over.
"Your sister—You also have a sibling to think about! And on top of that, how do you expect me to take you to a doctor?!"
Aarav clenched his fists, his voice cold and sharp.
"I don't want to go! I never asked you to! If you don't want to give me anything, then don't. The room my father built is enough. I'm good with it."
His mother fell silent.
Without another word, Aarav turned and limped toward the bus stop, grateful that he had a pass.
Luckily, he got a bus and found a seat by the window. He sat, lost in thought.
"Idiot! That woman is an idiot. You never cared about me. Never! You ignorant fool."
An image of his uncle smiling flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth.
"Asshole… One day, when I get the power, you'll be the first to be kicked out of the house and the business!"
Soon, his perspective shifted—to the blood still under his nails. He stared at it, his voice barely a whisper.
"Gurro… I'm sorry. I can't... I couldn't save you, little one."
As his mind drifted to the past…
One night, I was lying on the roof of that cursed house. The cement beneath me was cold, of course. I stared at the night sky—clear and endless. The moon was nowhere to be seen, no clouds either, just stars. Surprisingly clear.
But I wasn't the kind of person to just sit there and admire nature.
I wanted to run. Far, far away from this house. To live somewhere else. But I couldn't. My father built this house.
So what could I do?
I stood up and walked. The night air bit at my skin, but the real cold was inside me. A coldness in my soul.
Then, I heard it—a weak mew.
I turned and saw a tiny kitten, barely bigger than my shoe, standing there. As I stepped toward it, it backed away, wary. I knelt down and tried again. This time, it didn't run. I reached out, petting its soft fur, then got up and walked again.
It followed me.
I kept walking. It kept following. I almost stepped on it more than once. It was getting annoying.
Finally, I sat down.
The little thing climbed onto my leg, making its way up until it slipped inside my coat. Nestling there.
For the first time that night, the air didn't feel so suffocating.
For the first time in a long while, I felt warmth.
As if someone was truly by my side.
I still don't know, even now.
Was that little thing alone? Just chasing warmth?
Or was I the one who needed it?
The revelation hit Aarav like a thunderclap, shaking him to his core.
Only now did he truly understand what he had lost.
Tears welled up in his eyes, unstoppable. He hid his face from the passing strangers, his body trembling as he gave in to the surge of emotions he had fought so hard to suppress.
He cried and cried.
And for the first time in a long while—he didn't want to stop.