Pain Is a Family Matter Chapter 05
I worried for more than 10 days before Justin finally returned.
He opened the car door. No Ritualist was inside.
“I couldn’t find him,” Justin said flatly. “The other Ritualists all said they’ve never seen anything like this. From now on, we’re on our own.”
He paused, then went on, his tone measured, as if he had rehearsed every word, “I’ve thought it through. The Misfortune Vessel spell on Viola is what’s malfunctioning, but the source is still Amber. As long as we protect Amber properly, no one’s life will be in danger.”
The irony cut deep.
When I was the Misfortune Vessel, they encouraged Amber to be free, passionate, and fearless. They urged her to chase danger, to “live fully,” to find meaning through extremes. Now that the pain transferred to them, they locked her away completely.
When Amber slipped on the stairs, Justin immediately ordered her room to be moved to the first floor.
When she burned her mouth on hot water, Nelson snapped at the staff. “No more hot drinks for her. I have court tomorrow. I can’t have my mouth hurting.”
When she accidentally struck her hand against a table, Stefan screamed louder than she did. “Watch it! Don’t hurt your hands. My hands play piano. They’re worth a fortune!”
Every sharp object vanished. Her cups were plastic. Her plates and utensils were plastic. Even the corners of tables and chairs were wrapped in padding.
So they did understand pain. They feared death too. Then why had my life never mattered?
I could not understand it.
Now Amber was watched while she ate, while she slept, even when she went to the bathroom. She cried in my brothers’ arms, wronged and miserable.
But the men who once indulged her every whim, who would have torn the stars from the sky for her, had become
strangers.
She lasted less than two weeks. One afternoon, when none of them were home, she slipped past the service staff
and ran away.
By the time they realized she was gone, half an hour had passed.
Justin exploded. He took every guard and maid with him to search.
We found her at an amusement park.
Justin looked like a lion with its mane on fire. He charged forward and slapped her hard across the face. “Do you have any idea how selfish you are? If anything happens to you, our lives are at risk too. How dare you treat our lives like a joke?”
The slap landed on Amber’s face, but the pain struck everyone except me.
Justin turned and walked away, his body shaking with rage.
Amber clutched her cheek and sobbed. Then something inside her snapped. She tore free and ran straight toward
the road.
My brothers chased after her in panic.
Brakes screamed.
A truck slammed into her and sent her flying.
At the same instant, the Shared-Sense Systern chimed inside my head.
[Warning! The host is approaching a near-death state. Random substitute selection will initiate.]
The truck driver stared at Amber, completely uninjured, and nearly collapsed. He pointed at her and screamed curses, his whole body shaking.
Someone recognized her as an influencer. Phones came out, cameras rolled, and people crowded around her, and started filming.
Not far away, Justin, who had been running after her, suddenly vomited blood. His limbs twisted at impossible angles. His chest caved in as blood burst out all at once.
Nelson and Stefan froze, their faces drained of color.
I was the one who called the ambulance.
Outside the emergency room, Nelson and Stefan stood trembling, their faces paper-pale.
Amber leaned against the wall beside the operating room, crying softly.
Nelson grabbed her by the collar and said hoarsely, “This is all your fault. Why did you run into the road? Why did you even come out today? If you’d stayed home, none of this would’ve happened. Why are you always so reckless?”
Amber sobbed. “But you used to tell me I could be reckless. You said I could be myself. I just wanted some air. The house felt like a prison.”
She looked up, her eyes swollen, her voice shaking. “And the one who’s supposed to block misfortunes for me is Viola. She’s useless. That’s why Justin got hurt. It’s not my fault. It really isn’t.”
I laughed under my breath.
“So your lives are valuable,” I said coldly. “And mine isn’t?”
Amber looked at me, her eyes red and confused.
“That’s not the same,” she said weakly. “I never actually let you die all these years.”
I looked down at my crippled leg, then at my right hand, which still trembled whenever I tried to hold anything.
I smiled bitterly. Not letting me die? Losing my dream hurt far more than death ever could.
I raised my hand, ready to strike her.
The Shared-Sense System chimed again.
[Old unresolved injuries detected in the host. If the host suffers another severe injury and reaches a near-death state, all accumulated old injuries will be transferred to bound targets. Do you accept this option?]
