Though I was born into wealth, that fortune was never meant to st.

  The security that defined my childhood unraveled by the time I reached high school. My father's company went bankrupt, taking with it everything we had once taken for granted.

  My older sister, once carefree and ambitious, took on part-time jobs to help make ends meet. The exhaustion was visible in the dark circles under her eyes and the weariness in her voice.

  My mother, armed with a master’s degree in biology, found work quickly, her resilience offering a small but steady comfort amid the gloom.

  I felt an urge to contribute—not out of obligation, but from a transactional mindset. It was as though I needed to 'repay' what my family had once given me.

  Resourcefulness became my asset. I turned to the one domain that still hold me: the Internet. Before long, I was selling whatever I could find, earning money through methods that often skirted the boundaries of legality.

  ***

  While the rest of us adjusted to our new reality, my father sank into despair.

  The bankruptcy hit him hard, and he spiraled into a deep depression. He withdrew completely, retreating into a shell of his former self.

  Despite his decline, my younger sister found comfort in him. Loud and spoiled, she seemed to enjoy the attention he offered, even if it came wrapped in incoherent ramblings.

  With them, the house—once subdued in the wake of our downfall—grew louder, though not in the ways I had hoped.

  At first, my sister dramatics grated on me. But as time passed, her relentless antics forced me to confront a painful truth.

  'Was this how I used to act?'

  A wave of shame washed over me, but it wasn’t just about her. My father’s colpse filled me with a bitter mix of pity and contempt. His inability to rise again became a stark reminder to myself never to fall this low.

  ***

  Amid the chaos, my mother and older sister emerged as pilrs of strength.

  I had always admired my sister, though I rarely told her. She had endured my selfishness for years, and now I watched her navigate new responsibilities with quiet resilience.

  My mother, however, surprised me most.

  I had always thought of her as someone who thrived in the comforts of wealth, someone at ease in an indulgent lifestyle. But when everything crumbled, she became the glue that held us together.

  She worked tirelessly to support us, financially and emotionally.

  Only ter did I learn about her humble beginnings. She had faced hardship long before she met my father, and hard work had always defined her life.

  She had been here before, and now she faced it again—for us.

  **'

  As for me, I remained on the sidelines, detached from the family’s struggles.

  My mother rebuilt; my sister persevered.

  I stayed indifferent.

  Most days, I didn’t care where I slept, what I ate, or what the future held.

  My focus drifted elsewhere, fixed on the gnawing ache inside me. It was a pain I couldn’t name, a void that overshadowed everything else.

  It was always there, consuming me quietly, indifferent to the chaos surrounding me.

  ***

  But now, things had changed.

  I found myself adrift in a vast expanse, surrounded by stars and gaxies.

  The beauty of it should have overwhelmed me, but what struck me more than the cosmic ndscape was the absence of something that had been with me for as long as I could remember.

  'The pain was gone.'

  For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt calm. Truly calm.

  No ache, no suffocating pain—just quiet, unbroken peace.

  This sensation was so foreign that it filled me with a joy I hadn’t known was possible. I wanted to scream in ecstasy, to revel in this newfound freedom.

  But then, I realized—I had no body. No mouth to shout with, no hands to feel with.

  In fact, I wasn’t even sure what I was anymore. I could see in all directions at once, as though I had transcended human form.

  Despite this, I felt no fear.

  I drifted through the stars, content to wander this endless space, reflecting on my past as if I could remain here forever.

  I had no desires, no needs.

  But just as I settled into the peace of this eternal moment, something shifted.

  A crack formed in the vast expanse, a tear revealing a dark void within. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I was pulled into it.

  ---

  As I opened my eyes, I was no longer adrift in space.

  I stood in an opulent room, dimly lit by a faintly glowing crystal. The furniture was ornate and rich in detail, yet the room felt oppressive.

  It was night, and an eerie stillness hung in the air.

  As I took in my surroundings, something stirred within me.

  'This pain.'

  It had returned, creeping through my chest and filling me with the same suffocating ache I had carried for so long.

  For the first time, a surge of primal anger coursed through me.

  Slightly losing my composure, I spoke.

  The voice that emerged was unrecognizable—darker, deeper, and resonating with an unmistakable authority.

  "Who dares summon me here?"