Consequences

"I hate you! I fucking hate you! Why do you keep messing with my life! Why?" Tears streamed down Ethan's face. He was at his breaking point. All of the pain, the sadness that his two lives had felt molded into one. It was too much to bear. Slam! James was unconscious. Yet Ethan kept pounding him.

"Ethan! Ethan!" Ethan couldn't hear her. "Ethan," shouted Estelle. He stiffened. "Estelle...." he whispered. "Estelle! Are you alright! Are you hurt anywhere?" She didn't reply. His sister. He'd completely forgotten about his sister. She'd been kidnapped and beaten up by those assholes.

Ethan slowly got up. "Estelle...I'm so sorry. It's all because of me. You got hurt because of me." He stumbled forward. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Its all my fault."

Tap...tap. He stumbled forward. He reached forward and lightly embraced her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should've protected you, Estelle," he mumbled. He lightly stroked her hair. Sniff. Sniff. "Ethan....waaah." Suddenly she broke down. "Ethan....I was so scared. Waaah."

"There, there." He patted her back. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault." His eyes had stopped glowing. All of the rage and hate had melted away, leaving only pain and regret. "Let's...let's go home," he whispered. "Yes," she sniffed.

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Tap...tap...tap. Ethan walked into a street. He held his sister's hand tightly. He wouldn't...couldn't let it go after what had happened today. WeeWoWeeWoWeeWo! A fire truck rushed by as he stumbled forward. He didn't react as he kept walking.

"Hey Estelle! Are you alright?" He glanced at his sister. "Yeah. I'm fine now," she smiled weakly. The two continued walking in silence. Both were shocked by what happened today. Talking about it would only hurt. So they stayed silent.

Wooosh! The wind blew in Ethan's face. This damned wind. It only seemed to blow when it was sad. Or maybe he only noticed it at these moments. Tap...tap...tap. He walked into a street. Honk! Honk! A car honked loudly as it tried to move ahead. "What's this? A traffic jam," he thought. "Hey! Move outta the way! What's taking you so long." A man ducked out of his car and shouted. "There's a fire here. The road's blocked."

Wait. It couldn't be true, right. James had just given him an empty threat, right? He rushed forward. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" He didn't let his sister's hand go as he rushed forward. "Dad! Dad! Are you there?"

Somebody else. Somebody else was hurt because of him. "Enjoy living on the streets, Miller." That slimy rat had done it. He'd sent people to attack his father. Taptaptap. Crackle! Crackle! He stared at his house as he saw it covered with burning flames. "Dad! Dad!" He rushed ahead. "Settle down kid. There's nobody in the house." A gruff voice sounded behind him. "Where's my dad? Why's my house on fire?"

The man raised an eyebrow. His arms were folded. "Don't know." He continued staring at the burning house. "Why aren't you doing anything?" Ethan shouted. His clothes indicated that he was a firefighter, yet he was standing there unmoving. "I'm a firefighter, kid. I put out fires. And I can't see one here." "Can't see? What do you mean?" "There's no fire here," he stated simply.

Ethan was shocked. He stumbled backwards. "I...I see. I see what's happening here." The man stared at him. "Look, kid." He sighed. "You've messed with the wrong people and your dad's paid the price. I suggest you stay quiet for a while." "Quiet? What do you mean? Where's my father," he shouted.

The man frowned. "Check the alley over there." He pointed his finger. "Good luck, kid." He turned around. "Hey guys! We can start now!" Splash! Water cannons chugged as the sprayed the house with water. Or what was left of the house. "Estelle! You stay here! I'll be back in a minute."

Taptaptaptap. Huff...huff...huff...huff. Ethan breathed heavily. "Dad! Dad! Are you there?" He saw a figure slumped against a wall. "Dad!" Ethan rushed towards him. His father was a bloody mess. His neat hair was untidy. Blood streamed down his forehead, trickling down his bruised face. One of his eyes was sunken, as if he'd been badly hurt.

Slide! "Dad! Are you alright? Who did this to you?" Ethan frantically rushed to his father. "E....than." His eyes slowly opened. "Ethan! Is that you?" His father rasped. "Dad, are you alright? Let's go to the hospital. Should I call an ambulance?" His father continued staring at him. "Dad! Dad! Can you hear me?" "Amanda..." he muttered sadly.

Ethan stiffened. His father had mentioned his mother. Something he never did. "Sit down next to me." He straightened his back as he rested against the wall. "Dad, you have to go to the hospital. You've been hurt badly." "Oh, this? This is nothing. I've been hurt worse in gates." Ethan stared at his father.

"I....I'm sorry dad. This is all my fault. If only I'd stayed quiet. If only I'd stayed away from Douglas. None of this would have happened. Estelle wouldn't have been kidnapped. You wouldn't have gotten hurt. I...I'm sorry." Tears streamed down his cheeks.

Ethan's father stared at him. "Sit down next to me, Ethan." Scoot! Slide. Ethan shifted his body as he rested against the wall next to his father. Hu...hu...hu.

"They came about an hour ago with some kid. That brat, Douglas." Ethan's father started speaking. "They told me my son was acting out of place. That you were messing with the wrong people. That you didn't know your place." Drip! Drip! Blood dripped onto the floor. "I.." His father held up his hand.

"Do you know what we've lost today?" He looked at Ethan. "Our house. My job. Your places in school. Our places in this city." Ethan looked down. "Tomorrow, we have to leave this city. It's managed by Stella Corp, after all. They kick out anybody who doesn't have a job. And on top of that, your sister got kidnapped."

Hu...hu...hu. He breathed heavily. "Our lives have changed after today. We've lost everything. And who's fault do you think it is?" Drip! Drip! "I...It's my fault. It's my fault, dad. If only...if only I had...."

"No," said his father. hu...hu...hu. "Its my fault." Ethan looked up i surprise. "You....your fault? How is it your fault? You didn't do anything. It was me who..." "I already knew what you've been doing these past few weeks." He stared at Ethan. "You...you found out? But you never approached me. Weren't you mad?" Ethan shivered.

Ethan's father looked at him. "Well, at first, I was concerned. I didn't want you to hurt yourself. I even thought of stopping you. But I didn't." Hu...hu...hu. "I know you've been bullied for the last three years. Ever since your potential was measured, people have treated you like trash. But I....I couldn't do anything."

"Dad, it wasn't your..." His father held up his hand again. "It was 10 years ago. 10 years ago when you lost your mother." Ethan drew a sharp breath. His mother. He never knew how she had died. He only knew that she had lost her life in an accident in a gate. It was a painful experience that his father never mentioned.

"Life isn't easy as a D ranked gatekeeper. I know how pathetic this sounds to you, but I'm serious when I say this. Life was tough. Much more than it is today." Hu...hu...hu. He stared ahead into the darkness. "We met while working as gatekeepers. Both of us were orphans picked up by Stella. I've worked in Stella for my entire life now. So did she."

"Everyday, we had to risk our lives in dangerous gates at least a rank above our own. But we survived." He clenched his fist. "Those Stella bastards made us sign ridiculous contracts- 80 percent of all dungeon spoils went to them. 80 percent!" Hu...hu...hu. He breathed heavily.

"But we scraped by. We lived in a terrible house and even went hungry a lot of times.....but we managed to survive. Yet.....I resented this life." A tear trickled down his cheek. "I hated being caged. So I told Amanda- 'Let's accept a risky mission and change the terms of our contract.' Those bastards encourage you to put your life in danger to get more money. And they gobble up all profits."

Drip! Drip!. "So we did that. We ventured into a B rank dungeon. And we even managed to haul some pretty expensive mana crystals. But then...." Drip! Drip! Drip! Hu..hu..hu. "....we were attacked by spiders. Giant spiders. And..." Drip! Drip! "...Amanda was...was...taken. She was taken by them."

Carl started crying. He broke down completely. Ethan stared at him. He touched his own face. It was wet. He wanted to say something. Anything. But he couldn't. "And those Stella bastards," his father continued. "They didn't give two shits about it. They forced me into another contract and even slashed half my pay because of 'losses due to employee deaths'."

"I've asked myself countless times. Why did I deserve this? Why must I be caged? But I couldn't find an answer." Hu...hu...hu. He stared into the sky. "Ethan. I recognise the efforts you've put in. I can see how hard you are working. So I promise you this." Drip! Drip! Drip! He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. Tears streamed down his bloody face. "Don't pay attention to those bastards. Do what you have to do. Live freely."

"Because I....I don't plan on dying. Not today. Not ever. So do you best. None of this is your fault. It never was." Hu...hu...hu. "It's my fault. It's my fault that you don't have a mother. My fault that you got bullied. My fault that your life sucks. So please....do your best next week." Drip! Drip!

"Because I don't want it to be my fault that you couldn't pursue your dreams." Hu...hu...hu. Ethan was crying. He didn't know why- but he was crying. His tears weren't stopping. "D...ad." He clenched his fists. Douglas had gone too far. He'd crossed a line.

Ethan recalled the day he'd gotten his memories. The day he'd been beaten up by Douglas. He'd felt angry. Resentful. Wronged. But not anymore. He wouldn't have any regrets. He'd make sure his family was safe, and he would make sure that he grew stronger. So strong, that nobody could reach him. So strong, that he couldn't be manipulated. His eyes glowed blue. He looked up at the stars.

Two men stared into the sky, daring to fight. To rebel. They'd have a thorny path ahead of them, but one thing was certain. They wouldn't be afraid of the consequences. Never again.