The hallway was dimly lit, the flickering torchlight casting long shadows that seemed to stretch endlessly. Sia Amane stood alone, her breaths shallow and unsteady, her body trembling with the weight of what had just happened. The cruel laughter of Shin's followers still echoed in her ears, each mocking word a barb digging deeper into her chest.
Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, nails biting into her palms as the air around her grew suffocating. The betrayal, the humiliation—it felt like a storm roaring inside her, threatening to break free.
She took a shaky step forward, but her knees wobbled as if the ground beneath her had turned to liquid. Her voice, barely audible, escaped her lips.
Sia: (whispering, thick with disbelief)
No… no, this can't be happening.
Her mind was flooded with memories, unbidden but vivid. Flashes of a younger Shin—his warm hands pulling her out of harm's way, the respect in his gaze, the camaraderie they had shared—played against the backdrop of his mocking laughter from earlier. It was like watching two completely different people.
Her breath quickened, her chest heaving as the whirlwind of emotions churned harder. Anger, sorrow, and a deep, suffocating sense of betrayal warred within her.
She clenched her fists tighter, her voice trembling as it rose, raw with emotion.
Sia: (shouting, her voice cracking)
I thought you were different, Shin! I thought… I thought you were someone who understood! Someone who would never—(she chokes, her voice faltering)—never stoop to this!
Her body trembled as hot tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill. She gritted her teeth, shaking her head violently as if to banish the images that tormented her. But they wouldn't go away. They clung to her, a cruel reminder of what had been lost.
She whirled around, her hazel eyes locking onto Shin, who stood a few paces away. His expression was unreadable, his arms crossed as he leaned against the cold stone wall. The indifference on his face only fueled the fire burning in Sia's chest.
Sia: (shouting, her voice trembling with fury and heartbreak)
You're not the Shin I saw years ago! The one who—(her voice breaks)—the one who saved me! Who fought me with respect!
Her chest heaved, her words hanging in the air like jagged glass. The weight of her anguish seemed to fill the hallway, pressing against her like an invisible force.
Sia: (voice rising, raw and desperate)
That person, that Shin… you're not him anymore!
Her voice cracked on the last word, and she hated how vulnerable she sounded. But the pain was too much, the betrayal too raw. She felt exposed, as though her very soul had been laid bare before someone who had trampled on it without a second thought.
Shin, standing in the shadows, tilted his head slightly. His expression twisted into a faint smirk, though something flickered in his eyes—regret? Pain? It was gone before she could be sure.
Shin: (quietly, his tone sharp)
Maybe you should stop looking at the past, Sia. Things change. People change.
Her fists trembled at her sides as her teeth ground together. His words—so dismissive, so cold—only added to the storm raging within her.
Sia: (voice trembling with disbelief)
Change? You call this change? No. This isn't change, Shin. This is… (her voice grows louder, filled with anger) this is betrayal!
She took a step toward him, her hazel eyes blazing with defiance.
Sia: (shouting, her voice breaking)
I didn't expect this, Shin. I didn't expect you to become… (she grits her teeth, her voice a low growl of disbelief) this monster!
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her emotions raw and exposed. The hallway seemed to close in around her, the walls pressing closer as the storm inside her reached its peak.
Her voice dropped suddenly, the fight in it giving way to a softer, more vulnerable tone. She turned away, unable to look at him any longer, her shoulders shaking.
Sia: (moaning softly, as if the words were being ripped from her chest)
How could you do this…?
The words barely escaped her lips, but they carried the weight of her anguish. Her body slumped slightly, the fight momentarily leaving her. Her mind raced, searching for answers, for some explanation that could reconcile the Shin she once knew with the one who had humiliated her so thoroughly.
Behind her, Arnold Harbinger watched silently, his heart aching for her. He stepped forward, his presence steady and grounding, and placed a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder.
Arnold: (calm but firm)
Sia… don't let him define you. You are not what he made you feel.
She turned slightly, her gaze meeting his. His purple eyes burned with quiet anger, not at her but at the situation. At Shin. At everyone who had dared to hurt her.
Sia nodded slowly, her breaths evening out. Her trembling hands relaxed as a flicker of determination reignited in her eyes.
Sia: (quietly, her voice steadying)
I will find out, Arnold. I have to. If there's even a shred of the person I knew in him, I'll pull it out. No matter what it takes.
Arnold gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "And if you can't… then we'll move forward. Together."
Sia gave him a faint, grateful smile. She turned back to the hallway where Shin stood, his back now turned to her as he spoke quietly with his followers.
Her heart still ached, but now it was tempered by a new resolve—a fire that would not be extinguished.
As she walked away with Arnold by her side, her silhouette against the dim hallway lights was one of strength. The pain and betrayal still clung to her like shadows, but they would not consume her. Not yet.
The scene ends with Sia walking forward, leaving the betrayal behind but carrying with her the fire to uncover the truth and prove her strength.
The scene ends with Sia walking forward, leaving the betrayal behind but carrying with her the fire to uncover the truth and prove her strength.
Her words felt like daggers piercing his chest, each one lodging deeper than the last.
Sia: (memory replaying in his mind, raw and accusatory)
You're not the Shin I saw years ago! The one who saved me, who fought me with respect! That person, that Shin... you're not him anymore!
Shin's fists clenched tightly, his knuckles whitening as he tried to steady his breath. But the storm inside him was too strong to quell. Her face—her trembling voice, her eyes blazing with disbelief and betrayal—haunted him.
Shin: (softly, his voice cracking as he whispers to himself)
What... have I done?
The words felt foreign on his tongue, as though he couldn't fully comprehend their meaning. His mind reeled, fragments of the humiliation he had orchestrated flashing before him—the laughter of his followers, the rip of her uniform, the sharpness of his own cruel words.
He lifted a trembling hand to his face, but the movement felt mechanical, like his body was moving without his consent. His fingers grazed his skin as if trying to wipe away the memory of what had just happened. But no matter how hard he tried, the image of Sia's face—filled with pain and disbelief—remained.
Shin: (whispering, voice wavering)
She's so… sensitive.
The words fell hollow from his lips, as though he were trying to convince himself that her pain wasn't his fault. But even as he spoke them, his chest tightened, and the weight of what he'd done pressed down harder.
"She's not like the others." The thought echoed in his mind, unbidden and relentless. "She's not cold, not cruel. She's... kind. She's different."
The realization struck like a hammer to his chest.
Shin: (choked, shaking his head)
How could I do that to her?
His mind spiraled further. He remembered her from years ago—the younger Sia, who had fought him with fire in her eyes and determination in her heart. The Sia he had once respected, who had once made him want to be better, to rise above himself.
And now… now he had destroyed her trust, trampled on the bond they had once shared.
Shin: (hoarse, his voice barely a whisper)
I've become everything I swore I'd never be.
The memory came unbidden, vivid and unrelenting.
He saw the younger Sia in the tournament ring, her small frame poised and ready, her weapon gleaming in the light. He remembered her fierce gaze, the way she had pushed him to his limits without ever crossing the line into cruelty.
The memory shifted, showing her stumbling, her foot catching on a trap hidden in the arena. The burst of flame that shot up from the ground. Her wide eyes, frozen in panic, as the fire raced toward her.
Without hesitation, he had moved. His body acted before his mind could catch up, pulling her out of harm's way. He had held her close, their breaths mingling as the heat of the flames brushed past them.
Sia: (in the memory, her voice breathless)
Shin…?
He remembered the look in her eyes then—gratitude, admiration. Trust.
Shin: (in the memory, his voice soft but steady)
I couldn't let you get hurt.
The memory faded, replaced by the present. And with it came the crushing weight of what he had become.
Shin stumbled back a step, his legs threatening to give out beneath him. His chest tightened as though an invisible vice were squeezing the air from his lungs. He gripped his shirt, nails digging into the fabric, as if trying to anchor himself against the storm raging inside him.
His mind split into two voices, warring for control.
Inner Voice (Cold Side): (dismissive, commanding)
You did what needed to be done. You're stronger now. Stronger than her. This is what strength demands—control, dominance.
Shin: (clutching his head, voice trembling)
No. That's not who I am. I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to hurt her.
His knees buckled slightly, and he sank against the wall. His breaths came in shallow, uneven gasps, his body trembling as the weight of his guilt consumed him
Shin: (desperate, voice cracking)
I was just trying to be strong. Just trying to... (his voice falters, breaking) live up to what they expected.
The cold voice inside him sneered.
Inner Voice (Cold Side):
Weakness has no place here. She's nothing but an obstacle. A reminder of the past you've outgrown.
But another voice, softer, more fragile, fought back.
Inner Voice (Human Side):
She believed in you. She saw more in you than anyone else did. And you destroyed that.
Tears began to well in his eyes, hot and stinging. He let them fall, unable to stop them.
Shin: (choked, his voice barely audible)
She trusted me... and I betrayed her.
He leaned forward, burying his face in his hands as the guilt twisted inside him like a knife. The storm within him raged on, tearing apart everything he thought he knew about himself.
For the first time in years, Shin felt powerless. He had spent his life striving for strength, for control, for dominance. But now, as he sat there, broken and trembling, he realized that he had lost something far more important.
Shin: (desperate, voice cracking)
How do I fix this?
The question hung in the air, unanswered. He wasn't sure if there was a way back—if there was anything left of the person he used to be.
As he sat there, the hallway dark and silent around him, the weight of his actions pressed down harder. He had become a monster. And for the first time, he truly saw the depth of what that meant.