Chapter 12: Pain
Hades felt empty.
Helpless. Hopeless.
Each step he took up the stairs of the academy felt heavier than the last, as if his body already knew what was coming. He had spent all this time trying to prove his innocence—clinging to the hope that someone, anyone, might believe him.
But when the Minister spoke of Graham’s family, something inside him broke.
His mind went blank. His heart, numb.
Graham...
The pride of his family and the person Hades considered his brother.
Hades had been a part of that family too. They welcomed him, cared for him like a second son.
He used to promise Graham’s mother again and again, "I’ll protect him. No matter what."
But in the end, it was Graham who died—trying to protect him.
The irony burned worse than any wound.