Chapter 83 — The Boy Who Chose Silence

Narrator

Not every scar is carved by a blade.

Some are carved by words...

Some by promises...

And some...

By a single mistake that changes an entire life.

But sometimes...

the deepest scars are not created by what someone did.

They are created by what someone believed.

And this story began years ago.

Long before the world came to know the name that would one day echo across continents.

Long before silence became his answer.

There was a boy...

who couldn't stay quiet for even a minute.

Several Years Earlier...

On the eastern coast stood a beautiful village known as Sunreach Village.

Every morning, the very first rays of the rising sun touched this village before any other place in the kingdom.

Golden light danced across the endless sea.

The waves gently kissed the shore.

Splash...

Whoosh...

The salty breeze carried the laughter of children through the narrow streets.

Among them...

was a cheerful twelve-year-old boy.

His name was Rajesh.

But almost everyone close to him called him—

Raj.

"Raj!!"

"Raj!!"

"Where are you?!"

A cheerful twelve-year-old girl ran toward the riverside.

Her name was Roti.

She looked around.

Nothing.

"Seriously..."

"Where did that idiot disappear this time?"

Rustle...

A shadow moved above her.

Then—

a figure dropped upside down from the branch of a nearby tree.

"Haha!"

"Guess who!"

"Aah!"

Roti jumped backward.

Raj laughed so hard that he nearly fell from the branch.

"Raj!"

"You scared me!"

Raj flipped from the branch and landed perfectly on his feet.

"What?"

"You still fall for that every single time!"

Roti crossed her arms.

"Can you stop acting like a little kid for once?"

Raj placed a hand against his chest.

"That's a terrible accusation."

"I'm twelve."

"So technically..."

He raised one finger.

"...I'm professionally qualified to act like a child."

Roti stared at him.

"That's not how age works."

Raj nodded seriously.

"Then whoever invented age should explain the rules."

Roti sighed.

"You're impossible."

Raj smiled.

"I've been told."

He suddenly looked toward the tree.

"By the way..."

"What?"

"Do you think that tree likes me?"

Roti blinked.

"What?"

Raj placed both hands on his hips.

"I've been talking to it for ten minutes."

"You were talking to a tree?"

"Yes."

"What did it say?"

Raj looked at the tree.

Then back at her.

"...Nothing."

Roti stared.

"Then why were you talking to it?"

Raj shrugged.

"Good listener."

Roti covered her face.

"You're hopeless."

Raj looked at the tree again.

"Don't listen to her."

"I understand you."

The leaves moved softly in the breeze.

Raj smiled proudly.

"See?"

Roti shook her head.

"You really will talk to anything."

Unlawfully taken from NovelPhoenix, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Only things that don't interrupt me."

"Then why are you talking to me?"

Raj gasped.

"Because you're special."

Roti froze.

For a moment, her cheeks turned slightly red.

Then Raj continued—

"You interrupt me the most."

"..."

Roti's expression died instantly.

"Forget I asked."

Raj laughed.

They continued walking through the village.

Or rather...

Roti walked.

Raj talked.

Non-stop.

About clouds.

About fish.

About birds.

About strange dreams.

About food.

About training.

About the weather.

About why the village cat looked like it secretly hated everyone.

And sometimes...

about things that had absolutely no reason to exist in a conversation.

"Roti."

"Hm?"

"Do fish get thirsty?"

Roti stopped walking.

"...What?"

"If they live in water all day..."

Raj looked deeply thoughtful.

"Do they ever think, 'I'm really thirsty today'?"

Roti stared at him.

"I don't know."

Raj nodded.

"We should ask one."

"How?"

"That's the difficult part."

Roti laughed.

"You think about the strangest things."

Raj smiled.

"Someone has to."

A group of girls passing nearby noticed him.

One whispered to another.

"That's Raj."

"I know."

"He's so handsome."

"And he's good at everything."

"I heard he beat the older boys in archery."

"I heard he climbed the watchtower without a ladder."

Another girl gathered courage and walked toward him.

"Raj..."

Raj turned immediately.

"Yes?"

She smiled nervously.

"Are you going to the festival tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"With who?"

Raj pointed toward Roti.

"Her."

The girl looked at Roti.

Then smiled awkwardly.

"Oh..."

Raj tilted his head.

"Why?"

"Nothing."

She quickly walked away.

Raj watched her leave.

"...Was that strange?"

Roti looked at him.

"Very."

"Why?"

Roti smiled.

"Forget it."

Raj scratched his head.

"I don't understand people."

Roti quietly muttered,

"Especially girls."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Eventually...

they reached Roti's house.

Raj waved.

"See you later!"

"Don't miss me too much!"

"I won't."

Roti replied.

Although...

she already knew she would.

Raj turned and walked away.

He greeted nearly everyone he passed.

An old shopkeeper.

Two little children.

A fisherman.

A farmer.

A group of village girls.

One of them stopped him.

"Raj, wait!"

Raj stopped.

"Yes?"

"Could you help me carry this?"

She pointed toward a basket.

Raj immediately picked it up.

"Of course."

She smiled.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

He carried it to her house.

Then waved goodbye.

He never noticed the way she watched him leave.

Nor did he notice the other girls whispering nearby.

Raj simply continued walking.

He was handsome.

Talented.

Kind.

And completely unaware of how many hearts followed him whenever he walked through the village.

Raj had a twin brother.

His name was Sai.

Unlike Raj...

Sai was much quieter.

But there was one thing everyone knew.

Sai liked Roti.

Very much.

Raj knew it.

Which was exactly why...

he buried his own feelings deep inside his heart.

He had loved Roti for years.

But he could never confess.

Because he couldn't hurt his own brother.

What Raj didn't know...

was that Roti had rejected Sai many times already.

Again.

And again.

And again.

"I don't love you."

"I've already told you."

"Please stop asking."

Yet Sai refused to give up.

Every few days...

the same question.

The same answer.

Until one afternoon...

Roti finally lost her patience.

"Enough!"

Slap!

The sound echoed through the empty street.

"I've told you so many times!"

"Stop this!"

"I don't love you!"

Sai stood there silently.

His eyes filled with anger.

Without another word...

he turned around and walked away.

That evening...

Roti made her decision.

"If I don't tell him now..."

"I'll regret it forever."

Before sunrise the next morning...

she brought Raj to the highest cliff overlooking the sea.

It was the place where the first ray of sunlight always appeared.

The cool ocean breeze brushed against their faces.

Far below...

the waves crashed endlessly against the rocks.

The sky slowly shifted from deep blue to orange.

Neither of them spoke.

For once...

Raj was actually quiet.

Roti looked at him.

"Raj..."

He turned.

"Hm?"

"I like you."

"No..."

"I love you."

"I've loved you for a long time."

Silence.

Raj's eyes widened.

For several seconds...

his mind completely stopped working.

Then—

the happiest smile of his life appeared.

He laughed.

He cried.

He smiled again.

"I thought..."

"I thought I'd have to keep loving you forever without telling you."

"I love you too, Roti."

"I've loved you for years."

"I just..."

"I couldn't betray my brother."

Tears gathered in Roti's eyes.

"So we were both idiots..."

Raj laughed through his tears.

"The biggest idiots."

The very first ray of sunlight finally reached the cliff.

Golden light surrounded them.

The sea glittered beneath the morning sky.

For a moment...

the world felt perfectly still.

They shared breakfast together while laughing about all the moments they had misunderstood each other.

Then Raj suddenly remembered something.

"Oh!"

"I almost forgot!"

"I bought something for you during the festival."

Roti tilted her head.

"What?"

"A bracelet."

"I wanted to give it to you..."

"But I was too scared."

Her eyes sparkled.

"I want to see it!"

"It's at home."

"I'll be back in five minutes."

Raj stood up.

As he started walking away...

Roti suddenly called out.

"Wait!"

He turned.

"What happened?"

She folded her arms.

"On your way home..."

"Don't stop to talk to anyone."

Raj blinked.

"...Why?"

"Because I said so."

"But—"

"No."

"No excuses."

Raj scratched his head.

"What if someone asks me something?"

Roti puffed out her cheeks.

"I'm serious."

"Promise me."

Raj smiled awkwardly.

"Alright."

"I promise."

Then she pointed dramatically toward him.

"If you break your promise..."

"I'll jump off this cliff."

She laughed immediately after saying it.

It was obviously a joke.

Just another way of teasing him.

Raj laughed too.

"Fine."

"I won't talk."

He placed a finger over his lips.

"See?"

"Silent."

Roti giggled.

"Good."

"Hurry back."

Raj ran toward the village.

The morning road was quiet.

The sea breeze moved through the grass.

Raj walked for a few moments.

Then saw a familiar tree.

He stopped.

"...Morning."

The tree offered no response.

Raj nodded.

"Good talk."

He started walking again.

Then stopped.

"You know..."

"I have a girlfriend now."

The leaves rustled.

Raj smiled.

"I know."

"You don't have to look so surprised."

He glanced around.

"...Actually, nobody is here."

He scratched his head.

"Why am I telling a tree?"

A pause.

"Whatever."

He continued walking.

Then immediately saw someone approaching.

An Adventurer.

"Excuse me."

"Can you tell me where the harbour is?"

Raj remembered his promise.

He kept walking.

Without saying a word.

The Adventurer frowned.

"Hey!"

"I'm talking to you!"

Raj kept walking.

The Adventurer became irritated.

"What kind of village is this?"

"Nobody even helps strangers?"

"So filthy."

"So rude."

"So disappointing."

Raj stopped.

His fists slowly tightened.

He turned around.

"This village isn't rude."

"You don't know these people."

"They're kind."

The Adventurer scoffed.

"Then why didn't you answer?"

Raj stared at him.

"Because I promised someone I wouldn't talk."

The Adventurer laughed.

"What?"

Raj sighed.

"That sounds stupid when I say it aloud."

"Then why did you do it?"

Raj looked toward the village.

"Because promises matter."

A brief silence.

Then the Adventurer muttered,

"Whatever."

He walked away.

Raj watched him disappear.

"...I broke my promise."

He looked toward the village.

"But at least..."

"I protected my village."

He smiled faintly.

"Roti is definitely going to be angry."

Then he remembered the bracelet.

"Oh no."

He immediately ran.

Raj reached home.

Grabbed the bracelet.

And ran back toward the cliff as fast as he could.

"Roti!"

"I'm back!"

No answer.

"Roti!!"

He laughed nervously.

"Come on..."

"This isn't funny."

Silence.

His heartbeat quickened.

"Roti...?"

The wind moved across the cliff.

Raj slowly walked toward the edge.

One step.

Then another.

He looked down.

And...

his entire world stopped.

Far below...

Roti lay motionless at the foot of the cliff.

The bracelet slipped from Raj's trembling hand.

Clink...

It rolled across the ground before coming to a stop.

Raj's legs gave way beneath him.

"No..."

"No..."

His voice shook violently.

"This..."

"This can't be real..."

Tears poured uncontrollably down his face.

He collapsed onto the ground.

"I only talked for a moment..."

"I didn't know..."

"I didn't know you'd take your words seriously..."

"Today..."

"Today was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives..."

"We confessed..."

"We smiled together..."

"We dreamed about our future..."

"So why...?"

"Why did it end like this...?"

His cries echoed across the empty sea.

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm so sorry..."

"Please forgive me..."

"If keeping quiet could bring you back..."

"Then I'll never speak again."

"I won't share my feelings anymore."

"I won't let anyone into my heart."

"I won't fall in love again."

"I promise..."

"...I promise."

The rising sun silently watched over a broken boy.

The same sun that had witnessed his happiest morning...

now watched his world collapse.

The sea carried away the final echoes of his cries.

Narrator

That day...

a cheerful boy disappeared.

And someone else...

was born in his place.

Not because he stopped having things to say.

But because he became afraid of what his words might cost.

Years Later...

Inside the prestigious Holy Magic Academy...

a young man suddenly opened his eyes.

Gasp...

His breathing was uneven.

Tears still lingered at the corners of his eyes.

He slowly looked around.

The room was quiet.

No sea.

No cliff.

No Sunreach Village.

Only the pale light of morning entering through the academy window.

It had been a dream.

No...

Not a dream.

A memory.

A past he could never escape.

He slowly wiped away his tears.

Outside the window, students laughed as they walked through the academy grounds.

He watched them silently.

Once...

he had been the boy who could talk to anyone.

Even a tree.

Now...

silence had become easier.

Safer.

Because some promises...

were never meant to be forgotten.

He lowered his gaze.

Today...

the entire world knew him as The Unbeatable Boy.

His name...

was Rajesh.

And somewhere deep inside him...

the boy named Raj...

was still waiting beneath the morning sun.