Killing was instinct. But pain? Pain was art.
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Age: 11
Location: Private Foster Home – Outskirts of Wakahara City
Silas had been passed around for years.
No one kept him long. "Quiet kid," they'd say. "Strange eyes." "Doesn't sleep much." "Never cries."
But Mr. Daigo kept him. Not out of kindness.
Out of opportunity.
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7:14 P.M.
Kitchen – Daigo Residence
Mr. Daigo was drunk again.
Silas stood in the corner, watching him rant. The man had hit him before—sometimes for noise, sometimes for nothing. Tonight, it was because Silas didn't say "thank you" fast enough.
"You think you're smarter than me, you little freak?" Daigo snarled, grabbing Silas by the shirt and slamming him into the wall.
Silas didn't flinch.
Daigo raised a hand.
But Silas grabbed a fork from the table.
And this time—he didn't wait.
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7:16 P.M.
Silas's Room – After
Daigo bled from the shoulder, screaming. Silas had stabbed him once. Just once.
But it was the look in his eyes that did it.
The pain. The confusion. The helplessness.
Silas stood over him, panting, chest tight. Not from fear.
From joy.
It was pure. Quiet. Almost holy.
Not justice.
Not revenge.
Just power.
Daigo kept crawling. Begging. Sobbing.
Silas tilted his head, fascinated.
Then he sat down, pulled out a screwdriver, and calmly began removing the man's fingernails.
One by one.
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8:04 P.M.
Later
When the police arrived (an anonymous call made from Daigo's phone), they found Silas kneeling outside in the snow, smiling faintly.
Inside, Daigo was barely alive.
Unconscious. Mutilated. Traumatized.
The house was clean, otherwise. Spotless.
Silas said only one thing to the officer:
> "He deserved worse. I was kind."
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File Note: Psychiatric Evaluation (Confidential)
> Subject shows no remorse.
When asked how he felt during the assault, he said:
"I was curious."
Asked if he would do it again:
"If they deserve it."
Diagnosed: Antisocial personality disorder with psychopathic traits.
Recommendation: Transfer to high-risk behavioral unit. Monitor indefinitely.
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Final Scene
In the back of the transport vehicle, Silas stared at his reflection again.
There was blood beneath his fingernails.
He raised them to his lips and smiled.
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Final Line:
> *"Killing is survival."
*"But pain…"
"Pain is mine."
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