Thwack!!
“…”
SSSHHHHTTTTT!!
“…”
Thwack!!
“Hahaha… Can you believe it, boys? He’s not even screaming! Not a single sound!” a bulky man exclaimed in disbelief, his voice filled with a mixture of shock and amusement as he cracked the whip again.
“YOU SICK MOTHERFUCKERS!!! Stop it!! He’s just a child!!” I shouted, my voice trembling with anger. My rage was boiling over, yet my words fell on deaf ears.
None of the brutes heard me…. none of them cared!
“Your turn now!” the man said with a twisted grin, handing the whip to another sadist in the group.
“FUCK!!” I yelled again, my frustration consuming me as I turned to face Ether.
He was standing there, motionless, devoid of life.
His eyes… empty, as though they no longer saw the world around him.
My heart sank as I looked at the boy’s body.
His skin was torn and battered, covered in fresh, angry welts. Each whip mark was a testament to the pain he endured, yet… he didn’t scream.
Not even once!! As if he lost something!
Thwack!!
“…”
SSSHHHHTTTTT!!
The sickening sound of the whip cutting through the air, followed by the dull thud of it striking Ether’s flesh, made me grit my teeth so hard it felt like they might shatter.
‘That fucking old bastard…!’ I cursed internally, seething with hatred.
After that twisted ritual, Ether was never the same.
He wasn’t a boy anymore—he was… something else.
He stopped talking…. He stopped eating… He stopped moving..
It was like he’d lost all sense of self, all humanity. His eyes were empty, soulless. He didn’t even act like a person anymore—more like an empty shell.
The old man…. He had gotten what he wanted from Ether, though I still didn’t know what that was.
Without a moment of hesitation, he took him straight to somewhere…. called the Ironfang gang…. Slave traders!!
When I saw the old man sell Ether to them like he was nothing, my stomach turned.
“I’ll come back in a month or two,” the old man said casually, handing Ether over to Darius, the leader of the gang. “Make sure you don’t kill him or sell him to anyone else. He’s… special.”
I could barely process what I was seeing. How could someone sell a child like this?
From that moment on, the Ironfang gang treated Ether like garbage.
To them, he was nothing more than a plaything.
Every whip, every punch, every bit of torture seemed to bring them joy.
Even though I didn’t have a body… I could feel it. Every nerve in my non-existent form screamed at me to act, to stop this madness, to kill them!!
But all I could do was watch. Watch as Ether suffered in this living hell.
“WHY?!!” I screamed, my voice echoing uselessly in the void around me.
Why did this boy have to go through such torment?
Why did the world have to be so heartless?
For the past two months, I’d been trapped in this nightmare, watching as the gang tortured Ether over and over again.
They didn’t care that he didn’t cry, didn’t beg for mercy…. In fact, it seemed to make them enjoy it more.
It was sick!!
And me? I was the one losing my mind. Watching a child go through this made me feel like I was the one being tortured.
Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, that fucking old man returned.
He took Ether back from the gang without even glancing at the wounds that covered his body.
It was as though the boy was nothing but an object to him… damaged, but still usable.
‘This bastard…’ I thought, my hatred for the old man growing deeper with each passing second.
“Are you ready to see your new home?” the old man asked, his tone cold, detached.
Ether didn’t respond. He stood there, vacant and broken, his body slumped in defeat.
The old man didn’t seem to care. He nodded as if he was pleased with Ether’s silence, then led him toward a massive building in the distance.
As I followed them, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d seen this building before.
But that didn’t matter now… What mattered was Ether, and the old man was up to something again.
I watched as the old man pulled out a small vial, filled with some kind of glowing, white liquid. Without hesitation, he poured it into Ether’s mouth, forcing him to swallow.
My eyes widened as I saw Ether’s wounds begin to close, his skin mending itself in real time. It was like watching a miracle unfold before my eyes.
“What the hell…? Is that some kind of healing potion? Then what about the liquid he used on Elder?” I muttered to myself, the confusion and shock hitting me all at once.
That old man had used something different on Elder… something else entirely. Not that I cared about that bitch. Whether she lived or died didn’t matter to me, but still…
I kept my eyes on Ether as the old man took him inside the house.
“Grandpa!!”
I turned my head to see a small child with bluish-black hair sprinting toward the old man, his face lit up with excitement.
“Hahaha… Did you miss me, Kai?!” The old man chuckled warmly, scooping the boy into his arms and spinning him around.
I watched blankly as the scene of family affection unfolded before me. The old man, grinning ear to ear, held the child close, while just behind him, Ether stood.
His expression was completely blank, empty as always…. I couldn’t help but think, ‘Sometimes… life is really unfair…’
My gaze shifted to the group that had just arrived.
“Father,” a blue-haired man greeted with a slight frown, bowing his head in a gesture of respect. His eyes flickered briefly toward Ether, but his expression remained stoic.
A black-haired woman stood beside him, her deep, black eyes focused intensely on Ether. She radiated authority, while next to her, another woman with aqua-coloured hair stood. Her frown deepened as she gazed at Ether, but then something shifted. Her mouth opened in horror, eyes widening as though she had just noticed something.
I found it mildly amusing—her shocked expression was… cute in a strange way.
‘Hmm…’ I frowned at my own thoughts, trying to shake the absurd observation. Then, I noticed a small child clinging to the black-haired woman’s leg, her eyes darting around hesitantly as she took in everything.
After putting down his grandchild, the old man turned to Ether, “Come, Ether,” he called in a soft, gentle voice, pulling the boy toward the group.
Looking at them with a composed smile, he introduced, “This is Ether. Say hello to your new family, Ether.”
Ether remained silent, his face showing no sign of acknowledgement.
The old man’s expression turned sombre, a hint of sadness seeping into his features as he continued, “You see… this child, I brought him from the slave market… Tsk, tsk…” He shook his head with apparent pity, “He’s suffering from a serious, unknown illness. Poor boy can’t express himself properly, and can’t even act on his own will. He only responds to commands, you see.”
The group exchanged looks, their expressions softening with sympathy as they gazed at Ether.
“Really?” Kai asked, his voice full of curiosity as he stared at Ether. Without missing a beat, he gave an order, “Kneel.”
I flinched at the command, watching as Ether’s body began to move, preparing to follow the boy’s order.
But then—
“Kai!” A stern came.
The boy froze instantly, his eyes wide in fear as he turned around to see the black-haired woman glaring at him with cold, indifferent eyes. “What are you doing?” she asked, her tone dripping with disapproval.
“I-I was just checking—”
“Ordering another child to kneel? I didn’t raise you to behave like that.” Her voice grew harsher, the scolding making Kai shrink in fear. His lower lip quivered as he turned and ran to cling to his grandfather’s leg.
The old man let out a hearty laugh, “Hahaha… No need to take it so seriously, daughter. The boy was just curious.”
The woman snorted in disbelief, crossing her arms, “You continue to spoil him,” she muttered before directing a hard glare at Kai, “You need to be respectful, whoever it is… give respect and take respect, Kai”
Kai, trembling slightly, nodded.
“Anyhow,” the woman shifted her attention back to Ether, “Why did you bring him here, Father-in-law?”
“As I said, he’s suffering from—”
“I didn’t ask what’s wrong with him,” she interrupted, “I asked why you brought him here. He’s sick, so what? You don’t usually take an interest in things like this. So tell me the truth.”
‘Damn, she’s sharp!’ I thought to myself.
The old man’s smile faltered for a split second before he regained his composure. He chuckled lightly, turning his attention to the blue-haired man standing beside her. “It seems your wife is more of a man than you,” he said with a teasing smirk.
The blue-haired man stiffened, his pride clearly wounded. “It’s my father’s decision, understand?” he muttered, his voice tense as he glanced at his wife, his jaw clenched in irritation.
The woman gave her husband a long, scrutinizing look before giving a small, almost imperceptible nod, as though accepting his words for now.
The old man, sensing the tension, quickly moved on. “Anyhow, from this moment forward, Ether will be staying with us,” he declared, his tone returning to its usual authority, “He will be treated like family, and…”
!~Ding~!
[Achieved Compatibility is 93%↑]