'When did things start to go wrong?'

  After Boris reconciled with Ana, they resumed their retionship as if nothing had happened. Despite the past tensions, they found comfort in each other’s presence. Boris would visit Ana, who was now pregnant, whenever he had the chance, spending their time together in quiet conversation.

  However, with the war raging on, Boris couldn’t always be by her side. Duty called him to the battlefield, and his visits dwindled to just once every few months.

  During one of these long absences, Ana gave birth to a daughter—the youngest member of the Smirnova household. She named her Ivanna Smirnova, a name Boris had once suggested.

  Ivanna was born into an era of upheaval. Even among high-ranking nobility, war drained resources, making food and manpower scarce. In this turbulent time, Ana and her child were pushed to the margins of the household. The head of the family, preoccupied with war, rgely ignored their existence. As a result, Ivanna never received the proper care and education expected for a noble-born child. Unlike her older siblings, who had already secured their positions, she was left vulnerable—an easy target for their mischief.

  With no official nanny assigned to her, Ana took on the responsibility herself, teaching Ivanna the basics of noble etiquette and discipline. Meanwhile, Boris became her guardian, ensuring that none of their siblings dared to harm her.

  Amidst the instability and neglect, they formed their own little family—just the three of them: Ana, Ivanna, and Boris. They had no formal retionship, yet their bond was undeniable. Whenever Boris had time to visit, he would spend it with Ana and Ivanna, cherishing their fleeting moments together.

  ***

  "Brother Boris, look! A bug!" Ivanna’s small hands lifted something rge and wriggling—a monstrous insect nearly the size of her arm, with eight legs and a single horn protruding from its head.

  Ana’s face paled. "No! Ivanna, put that thing away!" she shrieked, kicking Ivanna’s hand in a panic. The bug flew through the air.

  Ivanna yelped as her hand turned red from the impact. Tears welled in her eyes, and she ran straight to Boris, sobbing.

  Boris watched the scene unfold, trying—and failing—to stifle his ughter. He knew Ana had always been terrible with bugs. There was even a time when he had to stand guard while she cleaned, just in case a spider lurked in the corners of the room.

  "Brother Boris, my hand hurts," Ivanna sniffled, showing her reddened palm.

  Boris crouched down and gently patted her head. Using his bloodline ability, he eased her pain.

  "How is it now?"

  Ivanna’s tears stopped almost instantly. "Thank you, Brother Boris! You’re so kind—unlike Mother!" she decred, sticking her tongue out at Ana.

  "Hey now! Who said I wasn’t kind?" Ana huffed, marching toward them.

  Panicked, Ivanna quickly hid behind Boris, clutching his coat.

  "Ana, calm down," Boris said, raising his hands in a pcating gesture. "Surely you wouldn’t be harsh with Ivanna, right?"

  "Boris, you have no idea what a little demon she is when you're not around," Ana sighed, crossing her arms.

  "Alright, alright, I get it," he relented. "Tell me what she’s done so far."

  Hearing this, Ivanna’s eyes widened in panic. Without another word, she turned and bolted from the garden.

  "See? She’s running away! She won’t even own up to her mischief!" Ana compined.

  Boris chuckled under his breath.

  Then, after a brief silence, Ana’s expression softened. She gnced at Boris hesitantly. "Hey, Boris… do you think Ivanna hates me?"

  "I don’t think so," he replied without hesitation. "I think she loves you very much."

  Ana scoffed. "If you’re trying to make me feel better, at least come up with a more convincing lie."

  "It’s not a lie," Boris insisted. "Ivanna once told me a story about when you were sick and had to stay in bed for a few days."

  Ana fall silent for moment, furrowing her brows.

  "... What about it?" Ana carefully asked.

  "Ivanna was in a lot of pain telling the story."

  She blinked. "She was… in pain?"

  "Yes," Boris confirmed. "And pain never lies."

  Ana fell silent. She knew that among the Awakened Maurya nobility, some possessed senses beyond normal human understanding. If Boris said Ivanna had felt pain, then it had to be true.

  "She’s still a child," Boris added gently. "She doesn’t fully understand emotions or how to express them. But give her time. One day, she’ll realize how much she loves you."

  Ana studied his face, then let out a quiet sigh. Slowly, a small smile formed on her lips.

  "Alright," she murmured. "I trust you."

  ***

  The war between the nd kingdoms and dynasties had raged for years. But then, something unexpected happened—an intervention that changed everything. Naphael Eshopis, a magician of unparalleled power capable of conjuring city-level destruction spells, entered the battlefield. His presence tipped the bance entirely. Soon, the war came to an end, with all bme and reparations falling upon the losing factions.

  With the war behind him, Boris finally had free time. His reckless yet effective tactics during the conflict had earned him great recognition. His name rose among the prime candidates for the Smirnova Head Position.

  On a cold winter morning, Boris decided to return to the Smirnova family’s main mansion in Ztogorye.

  Walking through the grand halls, he made his way directly to Ana’s room. In his pocket, he carried two neckces, each embedded with high-grade mana stones—one red, one pink. He had prepared them meticulously to commemorate their victory.

  He stopped before a grand door—Ana’s door.

  Boris knocked lightly. After a moment, the door opened, revealing a girl who was no longer quite a child yet not fully a teenager. It was Ivanna.

  ‘She’s grown this much?’

  The sight surprised him. The st time he had visited Ana, Ivanna had still been small enough to carry in his arms. Now, she had grown beyond the age where being carried seemed natural.

  “Brother Boris!” Ivanna’s voice was filled with joy as she hugged him tightly. “I missed you so much.”

  “I missed you too, Ivanna,” Boris replied, patting her head gently.

  Then, stepping back, Ivanna looked up at him with hopeful eyes. “Brother Boris, can you carry me?”

  Boris hesitated, studying her briefly. “No, you’re too old for that.”

  “Hee! Come on, carry me! I’ve been waiting for this moment.” She pouted, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

  Boris sighed. “Fine. But only this time.” With that, he lifted Ivanna onto his shoulders.

  “Yay! Thank you, Brother Boris! You’re so kind!” she cheered, her excitement bubbling over.

  Amused, Boris asked, “Why do you like being carried so much?”

  “Because I can see so much more from up here!” she answered happily.

  “You like seeing more?”

  “Yes! There’s so much in the world, and I want to see as much as possible.”

  Boris felt a pang of guilt. Because of the dangers surrounding the mansion due to his sibling, he had arranged for Ivanna to remain confined to Ana’s room unless he was present.

  ‘Perhaps she feels trapped…’

  “Hey, Ivanna,” Boris said, “let’s go out.”

  “Wha! Really?! When? This afternoon? Tonight?” she asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

  “Not today. I have reports to do, but it’ll be this week. I have more time now. We can go together with Ana to Ztogorye’s central district. There’s a beautiful fountain and a giant clock tower there.”

  “Yay! Thank you, Brother Boris!” Ivanna beamed, but then, as if remembering something, she added, “Ah… but we might have to go without Mother.”

  “Why without Ana?”

  “Well, Mother hasn’t woken up for three days. She must be really tired,” Ivanna answered casually.

  Boris’s brow furrowed. Something about her words felt off. Before he could fully process them, a strange tension settled over him.

  ‘No…’

  Still carrying Ivanna, he slowly stepped inside the room.

  The grand bed came into view.

  Ana y there, completely covered in bnkets—so many that even her face was hidden.

  ‘No…’

  “Ivanna, why are there so many bnkets?” Boris asked, his voice low, an uneasy weight settling in his chest.

  Not realizing the tension, Ivanna said, "Mother has been really cold tely, so I covered her up to keep her warm."

  Boris fell silent.

  'No...'

  Boris couldn’t sense Ana at all under the bnket.

  With his bloodline ability to detect pain and the keen instincts honed in war, Boris had developed an acute sense of others’ presence. Yet, beneath the pile of bnkets, there was… nothing.

  ‘No…’

  All he had to do to confirm his fear was remove the bnkets. But he hesitated.

  ‘No…’

  He stood there, motionless, watching the pile of covers. His anticipation of reuniting with Ana twisted into something else—something terrifying.

  ‘No…’

  “Brother Boris?” Ivanna tilted her head, noticing his silence.

  Boris didn’t respond. Her voice barely reached him. He was trapped in his own thoughts, desperately convincing himself that Ana was simply sleeping, just as Ivanna had said.

  'No...'

  All he had to do was pull back the covers. But he couldn’t.

  Impatient, Ivanna jumped off his shoulders. “Wait! I’ll wake Mother.”

  Before Boris could stop her, she pulled the bnkets away.

  “W-wait!” His voice cracked in panic, but it was too te. The bnkets fell to the floor, revealing Ana.

  A lively smile remained on her face... but nothing else about her was alive.

  '...'

  Ivanna pced a hand on Ana’s forehead. “Hmm… still cold as ever.”

  '...'

  She then shook Ana’s body lightly, as if trying to rouse her.

  “Hey, Mom, Brother Boris is here! He said we’ll go into town. Isn’t that exciting? Mom! Come on, wake up.”

  She tugged at Ana’s arm, trying to move her, but it wouldn’t budge. The cold limb was unnaturally rigid.

  '...'

  “Come on, Mom! Didn’t you say you missed Brother Boris? He’s here now! Mom!!”

  Boris watched in silence, unable to move. The emotion in his chest was unlike anything he had ever known.

  ‘…’

  Finally, he dropped to his knees.

  Even with undeniable evidence before him, he still couldn’t accept it. Everything he had worked for… everything… just… gone. Every bit of his senses and rationality was shaken.

  But Boris felt no pain at all. He had pushed his bloodline ability to its limit, numbing himself completely to suppress the 'pain'. In doing so, he lost all sense of feeling—no sadness, no grief, no pleasure—just complete emptiness. And in that emptiness, a sudden crity surged through him—a profound understanding he had overlooked all this time.

  All emotion and feeling, both physical and emotional, are just PAIN.

  They are the same entity, existing on different spectrums and intensities. Just as different wavelengths of light create different colors, pain, when varied in spectrum and intensity, manifests as emotion.

  With this newfound understanding, Boris’s bloodline ability, Perceptual Validation, evolved once more. Now able to perceive pain in its purest form, he gained complete control over his emotions. If he wished, he could redirect his suffering into happiness.

  But he didn’t.

  At this moment, he didn’t want to feel anything.

  “Brother Boris?” Ivanna finally turned to him, concerned. “Are you okay?”

  Boris was silent.

  After a few minutes, he slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers.

  “…No.”

  ***

  On a quiet night inside Boris’s room, his body y sprawled on the floor—or rather, what remained of it. His head, arms, and legs were missing, neatly arranged on his study table like a grotesque dispy.

  A man wearing a clown mask loomed over him, carefully carving into his torso with eerie precision—too precise, too practiced, like the hands of a seasoned surgeon.

  Behind the clown mask, a gentle yet eerie smile stretched across the man's unseen face as he meticulously examined Boris’s still 'living' body.

  OnlyCat