A man stood on a raised platform.
He had the kind of face one could see anywhereâplain, unremarkable.
And yet, there was something about him that made it impossible to look away.
It wasnât because both of his arms were missing.
It wasnât because his face was covered in countless burn scars.
It was because of the sheer intensity of the spectral energy gleaming in his eyes.
With those ghostly eyes burning with fury, the man spoke, enunciating each word with precision.
ââI was once a husband, a father of two, and an ordinary accountant running a family business.â
ââAnd I was also a failure of a man who could not protect his home, a failure of a husband who could not protect his wife, and a foolish father who could not protect his children.â
ââI was a fool who believed in the kindness of the world. A wretched sinner!â
His words were not eloquent.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
His voice was rough, unpolished. His speech pattern was awkward, lacking the natural cadence of a skilled orator.
Yet, his words carried something far more powerfulâraw, unfiltered sincerity.
There was grief in his voice. There was sorrow.
A deep, festering han, a resentment so thick and bitter that it seized the hearts of those who listened.
âI am a sinner. That is an undeniable truth! How could a man who failed to protect his family claim otherwise? That is why I do not run, I do not hide, and I do not deny my sins! Butâ!!â
âWhy is it that those who have committed far greater sinsâ!! Those who have sold the name of God, those who have forsaken their dutiesâwhyâ¦!â
âWhy do they claim to be free of sin?! Why do they smile so shamelessly as if they have done nothing wrong?!!â
His voice thundered with indignation.
Even though decades had passed, the wounds of the past had not faded. Time had not eroded his grief; it had only concentrated it, distilled it into something more potent.
The manâs sorrow had transformed into something else entirelyâhatred.
A desire for vengeance burned within him, an unquenchable fire that would consume him only when he had seen his retribution fulfilled.