The soldier unsheathed his jagged sword, The moment the blade caught the light, the crowd roared — a wave of sick anticipation crashing over the stage.
Yuuri flinched.
Cheers thundered around him, rising like a fever. Faces twisted with grotesque excitement. They weren't just watching — they were enjoying it.
"Why..."Yuuri murmured. His gaze stayed fixed on the stage, on the girl's trembling frame. "Why are they…"
He couldn't finish.
Her scream—it was the kind of scream that came from a soul being scraped out of a body.
Yuuri's hands flew to his ears — not to block the sound, but to push it away, like it might crawl into him and live there forever. His knees nearly gave beneath him.
"Stop cheering…" he hissed through clenched teeth. His jaw trembled. Fury boiled in his throat."What the hell is wrong with you people?"
The crowd didn't hear him. Or worse — they didn't care.
The girl's voice sounded like it was ripping apart her throat.
Yuuri's vision blurred. Was it tears, or rage?
Then, without a word, the soldier stepped closer and tore the cloth from her body.
He didn't cut it—he grabbed it with his hand and yanked.
And the girl hung there, exposed, her body swaying gently in the wind.
"Please—don't! Please stop!"
Yuuri's heart slammed against his ribs. His jaw clenched. "Stop it!" he yelled. His voice cracked. But no one listened.
They loosened one of the girl's hands, pretending to offer mercy, but only giving her just enough freedom to twist in vain. She reached forward to shield herself—but the soldier grabbed her wrist and forced it down.
Yuuri's body trembled.
*Why are they enjoying this? She's in pain. She's screaming like her soul is being torn apart.*
He tried to move forward, but the crowd pressed him back. The sound of the girl's agony rang louder, a sound so raw it made his vision blur. His nails dug into his palms.
Then something snapped.
He pushed—shouldered through people like a storm breaking through stone. "Get out of my way!" he roared. "What the hell are you doing?!"
She kept her hand over her chest and begged him, but this time...she wanted to die
Everyonestarted to cheer loudly
"Cut her hand"
"Cut her hand"
"Stop it!" he shouted. "What the hell are you doing?!"
No one listened.
Not a single head turned.
The crowd stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes locked on the stage ahead. Some were laughing. Others cheered like they were watching a game. Not horror—entertainment.
Then it happened.
The soldier raised his sword—cold steel catching the grey light—and swung.
Her scream tore through the air.
The blade slashed clean through her arm.
Blood hit the wooden boards of the stage like spilled ink.
Her severed hand dropped with a dull, final thud.
He pushed forward harder, slamming into people, shoving past bodies that didn't seem to feel him at all. He heard someone else laughing.
But none of them stopped him.
None of them cared.
They were too busy watching her suffer.
Cheering.
Laughing.
He ran faster.
Faster than he thought his body could move. Every part of him ached. His legs threatened to give out, but he kept going, teeth clenched, eyes locked on the stage.
On her.
A strong hand grabbed his wrist. A man—tall, broad-shouldered, face blank but eyes cold—stood beside him in the crowd.Someone who enjoyed it.
Yuuri tried to pull away, but the man's grip tightened.
"Wait"the man said
" Everyone need to watch that, see in line"he continued "Do you need to watch that closer. " He smiled
Yuuri couldn't hold it
He threw his arm forward with all the force left in him. His knuckles cracked against the man's face
That man left his hand and pushed him
Yuuri fell down. He heard her screaming, but this time it was 10x louder. He looked up
A piece of her.
Her breast— cut clean, discarded like it meant for nothing.
His stomach twisted violently , he was unable to look away, unable to breathe
The crowd?
They roared.
Laughing. Cheering. Some clapping. Like it was a festival. Like her pain was part of the entertainment. He could feel something breaking inside him. A soundless scream clawed its way up his throat but never made it out.
This can't be real.
But it was, and he was in the middle of it
He rushed "Stop this!.. " Shouted
His eyes filled with tears
She was hanging in that stage her body was half covered with her blood
One of her legs was amputated
But this time.. She didn't scream
No sound came from her
The silence haunted Yuuri more than screaming ever could
The crowds were cheering, but all he could hear
was her silence
He couldn't hold it anymore
The pain, the rage, the horror—it all tore free from his chest in a sound that didn't even feel human.
He shouted.
A scream ripped from his throat, raw and broken, as if something inside him was being torn out by force.
A hand grabbed his arm. He turned back fast, his face full of anger , his breath still rough from shouting
His fist was half raised and ready to hit, but when he saw who it was he stopped
It was Haru
"We can't do anything" Haru continued "I also want to help her but we can't" His eyes were very tired
"But why? " He replied, he was disappointed "I will help her, even if I can't I am ready to die, death is always better than living like this" He said
Another man nearby "hey kids, be silent, I can't hear her song" The man said
Yuuri clenched his fist, Haru's knuckles cracked against the man's face with a dull, heavy thud. The man's head jerked sideways. Blood spraying from his mouth as he stumbled back into the crowd.
Yuuri was in shock, but he asked for his help "Haru ,Haru she is dying let's go and help her " He pleaded with him
Haru's eyes fixed on the ground " sorry" He whispered
"Please leave my hand "Yuuri said, barely holding back his tears
They shouted louder
He looked back at the stage, he saw her face, her mouth moved slow and broken, but her voice didn't reached him
He saw her smile
And her last words were "Even death feels kinder than their eyes looking at..."
One slice—and her severed head landed besides her feet. Eyes still open, she smiled, as if death was something she welcomed
Her final breath left with a quiet smile.
Yuuri froze. Her body dropped, headless.
The world had shifted.
He found himself standing in a hollow of black.
No sky. No ground. No walls—and the crowd vanished. The screams, the blood, the laughter… all gone.
He turned.
Nothing.
He turned again.
Still nothing.
Just him… and the weight of the stage that still lived behind his eyes.
Then the voice returned
"All things that break… begin first with silence.
And this is your silence, Yuuri.
This is the beginning."
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. His throat felt like it was wrapped in frost.
It hurts to breathe.
"It feels like someone is stabbing needles into my throat—over and over. I can't even scream anymore."
The girl.
He felt something—cold, soft, and weightless—wrap around him from behind.
Arms.
Thin arms.
His body froze.
Then he realized… they weren't warm.
They weren't alive.
It was her. She hugged him from behind, her touch light as smoke—but it chilled his bones.
He was afraid.
Afraid of what he might see.
Afraid… because he knew who it was.
She stepped in front of him
"Do you see me now, Yuuri… "