Chapter 7: The Weight of the Night Part2

And in the middle of all that, Kai felt something strange—when Claus Code insulted the students, he felt the same pain they felt. I feel their pain, he thought, before, I never felt like this. I could see someone being beaten in the street and keep walking without caring. But now... now I feel their pain too.A long day, Kai thought, a tiring day; I don’t know if I succeeded in being a good teacher, but at least no one died, and that’s something, right?

He was almost asleep when sounds from outside began to creep in through the thin walls of his apartment.

"Please, Sir... give me more time..."

The woman’s voice was soft and pleading, with a tremor in it like someone about to cry but holding back with all their strength—a voice used to begging and used to being rejected, a voice that had lost hope but still tried, a voice that made Kai open his eyes and listen carefully, a voice that reminded him of someone he couldn’t remember.

From outside, a heavy and uncaring male voice cut in with annoyance that had reached its peak.

"NO! You said the same thing last month!"

That voice was like a whip cracking in the silent night, loud and filled with anger held back too long—the voice of someone tired, someone who no longer cared about excuses, someone who just wanted the problem to end, someone who had never known what it meant to fight to survive. Kai opened his eyes and narrowed them toward his apartment door; the voices came from the hallway, and his mind was confused because for two years living in this apartment, he had never heard sounds from other units, never heard footsteps in the hallway, never heard doors open or close—this apartment felt like a dead world, only him and the silence, only him and his old revolver, but now there were sounds, sounds of life, sounds of suffering, sounds of someone fighting to survive, and it made him curious and alert at the same time, made him wonder why only now he heard these sounds after two years of living in silence.

"I promise, Sir... I’ll pay it all off..."

This time the woman’s voice was softer, almost a whisper, like she had lost hope, like the words came out of habit rather than belief—a final effort from someone who had nothing left, a prayer she knew wouldn’t be answered, a plea she had made many times and always been rejected, but she kept saying it because it was the only thing she could do.

"PROMISE?!" The man’s voice exploded again, louder and firmer, leaving no room for negotiation. "Last month you SAID promise! And the month before! And the month before THAT! I’m TIRED of your excuses! TIRED!"

The woman’s name wasn’t mentioned, but Kai heard everything clearly. The voice echoed in the hallway, bouncing off the dusty concrete walls, and Kai could hear the grinding of the man’s teeth, could imagine his reddened face from anger, could imagine his clenched fists at his sides—all signs of anger that could no longer be contained, anger that had peaked and was ready to explode at any moment, anger that made Kai sit up straighter on the sofa, his eyes unblinking, his ears catching every word clearly because these apartment walls were thin—too thin—and he could hear their breathing if he tried hard enough, he could hear the woman’s heartbeat racing with fear, he could hear tears almost falling at the edge of her voice, he could hear the despair creeping into every word she spoke.

"But, Sir—"

"BUT NO!" The man cut in with a voice trembling with anger that could no longer be contained. "You have to pay. NOW! I’ve waited three months, and I’m NOT waiting any longer! THREE MONTHS! Do you think I’m a bank?!"

Silence for a few seconds, silence that allowed Kai to imagine the woman bowing with trembling hands and teary eyes, to imagine the despair creeping across her face, to imagine the feeling of having no way out, the feeling he knew so well—the feeling he had felt when he was young, when he was captured and made into an experiment, the feeling of having no control over your own life, the feeling when the world crumbles and there’s nothing you can do but bow your head and accept the bitter reality that you are powerless, that you can’t fight, that you can only surrender.

Then the man’s voice returned with a different tone, a tone that made Kai shiver, a tone he recognized from his past—a predator’s tone, the tone of someone who knows they have power over others, the tone of someone who enjoys others’ suffering, a tone that made the hair on Kai’s neck stand up and his hands clench unconsciously, the same tone he heard when Claus Code insulted the students in class IX-9, the tone that made his blood boil and made him want to destroy something.

"But... there is another way. Another way you can pay the rent..."

The man’s voice slowed, turning into a slick whisper that made Kai’s stomach turn—the same whisper when someone offers a way out that is actually a trap, a whisper that made Kai want to pounce on that man and destroy him, a whisper that reminded him of all the evil he had seen on the battlefield, all the cruelty done by people who thought they had power over others.

"I know you have a daughter. Beautiful, people say... VERY beautiful..."

The man’s voice turned into a low chuckle—a chuckle that made Kai clench his fists tighter, the same chuckle when someone offers something that should never be offered, a chuckle that made Kai want to beat that man until he couldn’t laugh anymore, a chuckle that reminded Kai of all the people he had seen suffer because of people like this.

"Hehehe... if you let me spend the night with your daughter... I’ll consider all your debts paid. Hehehe... how about it? A good offer, right? One night, and all your debts are GONE!"

"NO!"

The woman’s voice exploded with burning anger—the anger of a mother who would never let her child be touched by anyone, a voice full of courage born from love, a voice that made Kai smile slightly inside, a voice that showed this woman wouldn’t give up even when everything felt dark, a voice that made Kai admire her because he knew how hard it was to fight when everything felt impossible.

"Even if you offered to let us stay here forever, Sir, I would never—never—let you touch my child! I’D RATHER DIE!"

"Tch! Then PAY the rent! NOW! Or you and your child will be thrown out on the street TONIGHT!"

The man’s voice returned to being loud and uncaring, as if his offer earlier had been nothing but a joke, as if nothing had happened, and after that, silence, silence that allowed Kai to hear the woman’s ragged breathing, to hear her struggling between anger and despair, between fighting and surrendering, to hear her sobs held back in her throat, to hear her trying to find words to continue her defense but finding nothing because all that remained was despair, because she knew she had no money, no way, nothing but her child whom she protected with all her strength.

Kai stared at his apartment door and inside his chest, something moved, something he hadn’t felt in a long time, something that felt like the desire to act, the desire to protect, the desire to become something other than what he used to be. Before, he could see someone being beaten in the street and keep walking without caring; he could hear screams and feel nothing; he could see death and not blink. But now, when he heard the woman struggling, when he heard her fear, when he heard her protecting her child with all her life—Kai felt the same pain. He felt her fear, he felt her despair, he felt her desire to protect someone she loved. Something has changed in me, he thought, before, I wasn’t like this. I could walk past others’ suffering without caring. But now... now I feel their pain too. I feel it like it’s my own suffering.

He didn’t know what drove him—maybe because the woman’s voice reminded him of someone, maybe because he was tired of hearing the weak being oppressed, or maybe because there was something inside him he couldn’t explain, something that made him unable to stay silent when he heard others suffering, something that made him stand up from the sofa and walk to the door even though he didn’t know what he would do—but he stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.

But before stepping out, he stopped.

How? he thought. I can’t just go out and interfere. It’s not my business. I have no right. But... I have to help. I can’t just stay silent.

He was restless. He turned the drink can in his hand, his eyes staring at the door in confusion. I have to get involved in their problem. But how? I can’t just... show up and say I want to help. They won’t accept that. They’ll be suspicious. I need a reason. A legitimate reason to get involved.

And suddenly, a memory surfaced—a memory from the past, from the Grim Reaper training camp, from the days when he was young and quick to anger, when he didn’t know how to solve problems without violence, when a bespectacled man taught him something valuable.

Flashback — Grim Reaper Training Camp, Years Ago

The mess hall at the training camp was always noisy. Dozens of mercenaries sat at long tables, eating bland food, talking loudly, and occasionally arguing about trivial things. But that night, the commotion was different from usual.

Two men at the next table were arguing loudly. Their voices cut each other off, their fists pounded the table, and curses flew from their mouths without end. They were about to fight—almost, because the guard on duty quickly stopped them before any punches were thrown.

Kai, sitting at a long table not far from them, felt annoyed. He was only sixteen then, still young, still quick to anger, and didn’t like it when his peace was disturbed. He almost stood up to stop them—not because he cared, but because their voices were ruining his dinner.

But before he could move, a hand held him back.

Kai turned. A man with an ordinary face sat beside him—not tall, not short, not handsome, not ugly. He wore thick-lensed glasses and dressed like a nerd who didn’t belong in a military training camp. But his eyes—his eyes were sharp, like a lawyer’s eyes who had seen thousands of cases and knew how to win them all.

"You want to stop them, don’t you?" the man asked in a calm voice.

Kai nodded.

"Then I have a way for you to stop them legitimately."

Kai frowned. "Legitimately?"

The man smiled—a smile that made him look older than his age. He invited Kai to move to a table closer to the commotion, then sat down and began to explain.

"Here’s the thing," the man said, adjusting his glasses—a habit that seemed to be a reflex. "You have to have a connection to their argument. Not directly. What matters is that you get caught in the crossfire of their argument. That way, you have the right to interfere."

Kai was still confused. "What do you mean?"

The man smiled wider. "Think of yourself as a witness. A witness has the right to interfere in a dispute between victim and perpetrator when the witness is involved in the incident. If you’re not involved, you have no right to be a witness." He adjusted his glasses again. "For example, if you see an accident on the road and you’re not involved, you have no right to interfere. But if that accident hits your car, or if you almost get hit, then you’re part of the incident. You’re an involved witness."

Kai began to understand. His eyes narrowed.

"So... I have to make them realize that I’m involved?"

"Exactly." The man nodded with satisfaction. "You have to be affected by their argument—maybe their noise is bothering you, maybe they bump into you, maybe they hit your belongings. That way, you have the right to get involved in their problem."

Kai looked at the two men still arguing. One of them swung his arm wildly—and the plate in front of him almost fell.

Kai stood up. He held his plate—still full of food—and walked straight toward the two arguing men.

"Crash!"

One of the arguing men, in his wild movement, knocked into Kai’s plate. Food scattered on the floor. Kai stared at the man with a wicked smile—a smile that made the man pause because he felt something was wrong.

"With this," Kai said in a soft but firm voice, "I have the right to get involved in your problem, right?"

The two men fell silent. They looked at each other, then at Kai. No one dared to say anything.

From behind, the bespectacled man smiled with satisfaction while adjusting his glasses.

Back to the Present

Kai snapped out of his reverie. He was still standing at his apartment door, his hand on the handle, and a small smile formed on his face. That was the first time I used my head, not violence, to solve a problem. I can use it again now. I can be an involved witness. I can get into their problem legitimately. He opened his apartment door slowly and stepped out into the hallway.

The hallway was dark—the ceiling lights had been dead for a long time and never replaced, only a dim light from the end of the hallway flickered as if fighting to stay alive, just like the residents here. The walls were dull with peeling paint in several places revealing gray concrete underneath; the floor was rough concrete dusty with dried footprints; the air in the hallway felt damp and musty, mixed with the stale smell of unkempt apartments. In the middle of the hallway stood two figures: a woman with long black hair and a thin body, wearing simple clothes—a worn cream shirt with loose buttons in some places and a long blue skirt that had faded—she bowed with her hands clasped in front of her stomach, a bowing position that showed respect and fear at the same time, her shoulders trembling slightly maybe from cold or from holding back tears, her eyes closed as if praying; before her, a man shorter than Kai but stocky, his hair short and starting to gray at the temples, wearing a worn black leather jacket with many scratches on its surface, loose jeans dirty at the edges, and boots cracked in some places, in his hand he held a brown folder possibly containing rental documents or bills from her old rental, his face rough with acne scars on his cheeks and a slightly crooked nose—maybe once broken—his eyes small and shifty, moving nervously like looking for weakness in his opponent. Kai observed them from his doorway and no one noticed him because they were too busy with their own argument, too busy with a problem that would never be solved without a third party intervening—a problem that had gone on too long and now reached its peak in this dark hallway.

"Can you guys be quiet?"

Kai’s voice broke the silence of the hallway with a tone not shouting but clearly audible in that narrow space—deep, heavy, and filled with something that made both figures turn, something that made them pause, something that made them realize they weren’t alone in this dark hallway, that someone else had heard everything, that there was a witness watching it all.

"Don’t you know what time it is? I’m trying to sleep here."

Both figures turned, the woman looked surprised with her mouth slightly open and eyes wide, the man blinked then his face turned annoyed because his business was interrupted by a stranger—annoyance that quickly turned into anger because he felt his authority was being questioned, because he wasn’t used to anyone daring to challenge him, because he felt he had the right to do whatever he wanted.

"Sorry, Sir... if our voices disturbed you, we’ll—"

"Hey, you—" the man cut in with a narrowed tone, staring at Kai with eyes trying to intimidate, "you don’t need to interfere! This is my business with this woman!"

Kai didn’t move, his eyes staring at the man without blinking without emotion on his face—only cold calmness, calmness more frightening than anger, calmness that came from someone who had seen death so close that nothing could frighten him anymore, calmness that made the man step back slightly because he felt something different from the people he usually faced—something more dangerous than just an annoyed neighbor, something that made his instincts scream that he should be careful.

"Don’t interfere?"

He stepped forward. One step. Two steps. Now he stood right before the man—taller, wider, darker. His shadow covered the man completely, and he didn’t need to threaten because his presence was enough, his silence was enough, his empty eyes were enough to make the man swallow and try to gather the courage that was slowly fading, to make the man realize that he might have made a big mistake coming here tonight.

"Just so you know," Kai said in a soft voice almost a whisper, "your business is keeping me awake."

The man looked down slightly, not out of respect but because he couldn’t hold Kai’s gaze—his eyes moved nervously looking for an escape, looking for a way to fight back, but there was no way because Kai stood like a wall, unbreakable, undefeatable, unshakable, and the man began to realize that he couldn’t win against this person, that he had to find another way to solve his problem.

"And you said I don’t need to interfere?"

There was a threatening tone in Kai’s voice—a tone that made the man step back half a step without thinking, a tone only possessed by someone who had killed, a tone that made the man realize he was facing something more dangerous than just an annoyed neighbor, a tone that made the man realize he might not go home safely if he kept pushing, a tone that made him think twice before opening his mouth again.

"Sorry, Sir..."

The woman bowed deeper than before, her voice almost crying—not from fear of Kai, but from shame, from this situation, from having to be humiliated in front of a stranger, from not having any place to hide from the bitter reality of her life, from knowing that this stranger saw her in her most embarrassing state and there was nothing she could do to change it.

"We’ll move somewhere else so we don’t disturb your rest. We—"

"Stop."

Kai cut in with a firm voice, his hand raised stopping the woman mid-sentence—a gesture that showed he wouldn’t let them leave just like that, that he would solve this problem completely, that he wouldn’t let this woman keep suffering like this.

"If you move somewhere else today, tomorrow it will be the same. The problem won’t be solved unless it’s resolved."

The man nodded quickly like a dog suddenly realizing its owner was bigger than he thought—a sudden change in attitude, from intimidation to cowardice, from courage to fear, from someone who felt powerful to someone who realized he wasn’t powerful at all.

"Right, Sir... right, Sir. I just—"

The woman just stood silent with her head bowed, not daring to lift it, her shoulders still trembling, tears starting to fall from the corners of her eyes, dropping to the dusty concrete floor—tears held back too long, tears finally spilling because someone noticed her suffering, because someone cared about her, because for the first time in a long time, she wasn’t alone.

Kai turned to the man.

"So... what’s really going on here?"

The man sighed, trying to gather his remaining courage—courage slowly returning because he realized Kai wouldn’t attack him physically, that Kai only wanted to know what happened—then pointed at the woman with his thumb, a degrading gesture showing that he still considered the woman beneath him, that he still felt he had the right to treat her like this.

"This woman used to rent from me. But she hasn’t paid rent for three months. Then she moved here without saying anything."

He raised the folder in his hand, showing documents already starting to get wrinkled as proof he wasn’t lying—as proof that he had the right to collect, that he wasn’t just some evil person coming without reason.

"I’ve been looking for her. Finally found her here. She still owes me 900 dollars. Nine hundred dollars, Sir. That’s not a small amount. I need money too, Sir. I’m not a rich man."

Kai looked at the woman who still stood bowed without moving without speaking, as if the world had collapsed on her head, as if there was no hope left, as if she had given up on her fate—and Kai felt something strange in his chest, something like pain, pain he didn’t understand because he had turned off his feelings for too long, pain that appeared when he saw someone helpless and he knew he could help but didn’t know how.

"In that case," Kai said softly, "let me pay."

He reached for his old leather wallet that was peeling in some places that he always carried everywhere even though he rarely used it—a wallet that had become part of him, a wallet containing money collected from leftover mercenary wages, a wallet he almost never opened because he never bought anything—and pulled out nine hundred-dollar bills, counted them once, then handed them to the man without expression.

The man blinked with wide eyes seeing the money in his hand, counted it quickly one two three to nine, then smiled widely showing yellow teeth—a smile of someone who just got what he wanted, a smile of someone suddenly friendly after being angry before, a smile of someone who didn’t care how the money was obtained as long as it was in his hand.

"Okay... then I’ll take this money."

Quickly the man took the money from Kai’s hand and shoved it into his jacket pocket, his movements quick and greedy like afraid the money would disappear if he didn’t put it away immediately—a gesture showing that money was everything to him, that nothing was more important than money in this world, that he didn’t care about others’ suffering as long as he got what he wanted.

"Hehehe... with this, I don’t need to deal with this woman. Now it’s your business."

The man turned and walked away quickly like afraid Kai would change his mind, his boots pounding on the concrete floor echoing in the silent hallway, and a few seconds later he disappeared behind the emergency door at the end of the hallway, the door closed with a bang that echoed then silence returned—a silence that felt different, a silence that felt calmer, a silence that felt like relief after the storm had passed, a silence that felt like the end of a battle that had gone on too long.

Silence.

The woman was still bowed with her hands clasped in front of her stomach, not moving, not speaking, her shoulders still trembling, her tears still falling to the floor—tears of gratitude, tears of relief, tears she couldn’t hold back anymore because all this time she had to be strong alone and now someone helped her without being asked, someone she didn’t know but willingly paid her debt without asking anything in return, someone who made her feel that this world still had good people in it.

"Thank you, Sir... but... how can I repay your kindness?"

She lifted her head slightly, her dark brown tired eyes still shining with remaining hope staring at Kai with a mix of gratitude and fear; This man heard my conversation with that man earlier, she thought, what if he also wants my daughter? But he paid my debt, he didn’t ask for anything, who is he? And Kai saw that fear in her eyes, he sighed softly and spoke in a calm non-threatening voice, a voice trying to calm, a voice wanting to say he wouldn’t hurt anyone here—a voice he hadn’t used in a long time, a voice that felt strange on his own tongue, a voice that made him feel like a different person from before.

"Don’t misunderstand, Ma’am. I just want peace. Consider it me buying peace from you."

The woman blinked, the fear in her eyes slowly fading replaced by relief creeping in like sunlight breaking through thick clouds after heavy rain, she stood slightly straighter even though her hands still trembled and tears still wet her cheeks—a small change showing she began to believe that this man wouldn’t hurt her, that this man really only wanted to help, that this world still had good people in it.

"Sorry, I haven’t had a chance to greet the neighbors because I just moved. My name is Diana Noa."

Diana Noa.

Kai heard that name and something inside it made his ears feel strange—Noa, that last name felt familiar, like he had heard it recently, but he couldn’t remember where; maybe just coincidence, maybe he was too tired and his mind was playing tricks, maybe the name just sounded like someone he’d met—but nothing appeared in his head, no image, no face, only that last name hanging at the edge of his mind like something he almost remembered but couldn’t grasp, like a shadow disappearing before he could see it clearly, like a puzzle he couldn’t solve.

"I just moved here last week," Diana continued softly, trying to smile even though her eyes were still wet. "I work at a bar nearby to make ends meet."

She took something from her pocket—a small cream-colored card with elegant writing on it—then handed it to Kai with a hand still trembling slightly, her hand touching Kai’s briefly, warm and soft, a touch that surprised Kai because it had been so long since anyone touched him in a non-lethal way, because it had been so long since he felt warmth from another person, because it had been so long since he only felt the coldness of weapons and blood.

"This is my work card, Sir. My name is Diana. I work at Heaven in Heaven, a bar at the end of Elmwood Street. My night shift is from 7 to 9."

Kai received the card and his eyes read the writing on it slowly, feeling the smooth texture of the paper at his fingertips—a small object suddenly feeling very heavy because inside it held hope and an offer of help, because inside it held a promise that he could help more, that he could do something meaningful for this woman.

"Heaven in Heaven..."

The name was strange, too strange, two same words repeated twice like a mantra, like a code, like something hidden behind words, like a place that didn’t want to be found by those who weren’t looking for it, like a name deliberately chosen to make people wonder—and Kai wondered, he wondered what was hidden behind that name, what made Diana work at a place like that, what was really going on there.

"Yes, Sir. It’s not too crowded especially at those hours. Good for people who want peace."

Kai stared at the card longer than he should; in the corner of the card was a small address written in neat print and below it handwritten: "Diana — night shift 7-9." The writing was neat, clear, like someone used to writing carefully, and Kai felt something strange in his chest—something like a desire to protect, a desire he didn’t understand because all this time he only knew how to destroy, a desire that made him want to do more for this woman.

"If you want to come someday," Diana continued carefully, her voice starting to calm, "I’ll make sure you get the best service. As a thank you from me."

Kai put the card in his pocket without expression and answered, "Alright. I’ll come there someday."

"Really?" Diana’s eyes sparkled, her smile beginning to form again. "Then I’ll wait for your visit."

"Don’t wait too long."

Diana smiled—the first smile Kai saw from her, a smile that made her face look ten years younger, a smile that reminded him of someone but he didn’t know who, a smile that was warm, sincere, and full of hope, a smile that said even though life was hard, there was still reason to smile, there were still good people in this world—and Kai felt something strange in his chest, something he couldn’t explain, something that made him want to help this woman more than just paying her debt, something that made him want to protect her from all the bad things in this world.

"Thank you again, Sir. I won’t forget your kindness."

"No need to remember."

Diana nodded then turned and walked to her apartment at the end of the hallway; the door opened, yellow light from inside illuminating the dark hallway for a moment like a torch lighting the darkness, then closed softly behind her, the sound of a key turning in the lock, then silence—silence that felt warm, silence that felt like the end of a small battle that night, silence that felt like the beginning of something new.

Kai stood in the dark hallway, his eyes staring at Diana Noa’s apartment door—the woman he had just helped, the woman working at a strangely named bar, the woman with a daughter who almost became a victim of that man’s vile offer, the woman who made him feel something he didn’t understand—and the name Diana Noa still echoed in his head; Noa, why does it feel familiar? He tried to remember, maybe he had heard that name somewhere, maybe in the newspaper, maybe on the news, maybe in someone else’s conversation, but nothing appeared in his head, no image, no face, only that last name hanging at the edge of his mind like something he almost remembered but couldn’t grasp, like a word on the tip of his tongue he couldn’t say, like a memory covered in dust he couldn’t reach. He took the card from his pocket and looked at it once more under the dim light of the flickering emergency light at the end of the hallway.

"Heaven in Heaven..."

He repeated the name softly, feeling each syllable on his tongue—bar at the end of Elmwood Street, night shift 7-9, Diana, a woman who just moved, a woman who works at a strangely named place, a woman who made him feel something he didn’t understand—then he put the card back in his pocket, turned, and walked back to his apartment; the door closed behind him with a soft click, and Kai sat on the sofa, took his drink can that was already half empty—still cold, still sweet—and took a slow sip while staring at the cracked ceiling, the lamp above still flickering like giving him a signal, like saying something he couldn’t hear, like reminding him that there was something he had to do.

I should check that place out, Kai thought, Heaven in Heaven, the bar where Diana works; what’s there? And why does that name feel strange?

He didn’t know the answer. But one thing he knew: he couldn’t stay silent. He couldn’t ignore that woman. He had already chosen to live—not for himself, but for others. For people who needed protection.

And now, he had to prove it.