Chapter 25

"It's not your time to be helpful anymore. It's my time. And I won't let you interfere with any of my decisions. So, sleep there and just dream on if God still wants to take you to heaven, and not plunge you into hell, although i'm sure that's unlikely."

Jona's eyes gleamed with cruelty. "The next time you push me to the edge, i'll end your life myself. Understand?"

Even after the virtual meeting had ended, 10 minutes had passed and during that time, Jona hadn't moved from the sofa. His eyes stared straight ahead, at the now-dark screen. Gazing at the pitch-black screen that reflected his own image. His large television was like a giant mirror. Displaying the figure of Jona, his brow furrowed, and slowly, his breath becoming more hurried. His mind, once agile, now grew increasingly cloudy. His feelings, even more so. Jona felt waves of negative emotions hitting his chest, waves of unpleasant thoughts flooding his mind and the worst of all was... the memories that were starting to seep into his mind.

Jona clenched his jaw as tightly as possible. Stop it. His inner self. Stop! Don't replay that memory again, you fool. Don't.

But unfortunately, his mind didn't seem to want to follow his will. Jona gritted his teeth forcefully, clenched his fists, as his thoughts wandered further. Growing broader. Thinking about his conversation with his father earlier, then reminiscing about his conversations with his father when he was younger. Likewise, bad memories began to creep into his mind. Along with waves of nostalgia that struck his soul. Jona felt like he could explode. Like he could shatter into pieces. His hands began to tremble. He raised them to touch his head, then suddenly, Jona began to pull at his own hair. Tugging at his hair until a tingling sensation spread across every corner of his scalp. It wouldn't be surprising if his hair started falling out soon, ripped out by his own hands. The pain throbbed intensely, but his mind continued to wander wild.

"Sir, isn't this excessive-"

"What right do you have to reprimand me, you bastard!?"

Young Jona, his body still fragile, especially his heart, could only curl up on the ground. Feeling the coldness of the snow piled around him. While wearing nothing but underwear and shorts. His entire body was covered in wounds. His left shoulder swollen, his back marked by whip scars. Blood flowed from his forehead like a waterfall. Ending in a puddle beside his face. His eyes were clouded, from tears that lingered on his eyelids. He was frightened, he was in pain, he wanted to get away from there. Jona wanted to escape from his father. But he couldn't.

His father's martial arts training program was too extreme for young Jona. He collapsed multiple times, his body bruised repeatedly from being unable to compete with opponents who were already strong. Every day, new injuries appeared on his body, surpassing the number of wounds that could heal in the same day. A week had passed since his father had given him a new training program. And in that week, he felt his body couldn't take it anymore. Couldn't endure it. Was already too tired. This morning, Jona mustered as much courage as possible, escaped from his training barracks, and went to his father's office. Pleading with all his soul for the training to be lightened, or at the very least, for Jona to be allowed to rest for a while.

But of course, for his father, that was an insult.

His father couldn't accept it. And Jona screamed when he saw his father grab an iron pipe and strike him hard. Anger flashed in his eyes. While Jona could only stare in shock, holding back tears. Feeling the pain repeatedly hitting his body.

"Shameful! What kind of successor are you!? What kind of man will you become in the future if you can't even handle small matters like this, Jona!?"his father's shouts grew louder. Very loud. Jona's ears were ringing.

"My eldest son has failed. That's why you have to bear his failure immediately, and train to become the strongest man in the world!"

Blow after blow struck his body. Young Jona could only curl up while holding back tears. Enduring the pain. Suppressing his screams. He was terrified, very much so. Even as his body trembled uncontrollably under his father's blows. His father's assistant looked at Jona sympathetically from the side. And after being unable to bear the pity any longer, he asked Jona's father to stop. Saying that his actions were excessive.

However, his request was met with his father's immense anger, causing him to shrink back and decide to return to his original position. He became a spectator. And all Jona could do was pray that he could get through it all, with his small body.

Jona had been crying loudly. His head was pounding so hard from holding back his sobs. His father lifted him up. Jona was even powerless to resist, as his strength had already failed him. The man instructed hisassistant to bring the car, and together with Jona, he drove up a mountain near their property. A mountain that, as far as Jona knew, humans were not allowed to enter, because many wild animals roamed there. Upon reaching the peak, his father dragged Jona out of the car, hurling him forcefully to the ground. Until Jona screamed, because the whip marks on his back were still wet.

The man tossed a rifle into Jona's hands, along with several boxes of spare ammunition.

"Tonight, you're staying here."

Instantly, Jona widened his eyes. "F-father, no... I don't want to-"

"In that case, don't defy my will again, do you understand!?"his father barked, raising his voice instantly. He approached, then leaned forward towards Jona. "This is your punishment for being weak and weakness must not take root in our family,"this time, Jona genuinely trembled in fear.

"There are many bears here. Tigers too. And your task is to survive. Tomorrow morning at dawn, i will come to pick you up again and if you fail to survive, it means your worth is that small. And i don't need a weak child like that,"his father said, before taking his steps away, about to enter the car. Leaving Jona behind.

"Father, please don't!"Jona's loud cry was heard. The little boy ran with difficulty, and hugged his father's leg. "I promise i'll be a good boy. I promise i won't defy you again. Jona promises! B-but don't leave me alone. Please. I... am scared."

His father growled in frustration,"then your task is to overcome your fear!"

Jona almost vomited when his father's kick hit his stomach, causing Jona to be thrown far away until he fell to the ground. "I will pick you up right here tomorrow. Don't disappoint me."

"Father!"Even though his stomach was relentlessly hurting, his legs were swollen from his father's blows, his eyes were swollen and his head was spinning from being hit with an iron pipe, but with all the remaining strength in his body, Jona danced to catch up with his father's car speeding away. Falling multiple times, but he didn't give up running, while screaming for mercy. But in the end, what could a pair of tiny legs of a 10-year-old child do? Jona fell to the ground, his face bruised as he hit a tree trunk. And his body trembled violently. Fear engulfed him.

Crash!!

The sound of a broken mouse hitting the floor. Shattered into pieces, scattered there. As if that wasn't enough, Jona grabbed his webcam and slammed it hard into the TV screen. Shattering the screen, creating a pattern of shards like a spider's web. Jona clenched his jaw as hard as he could, so hard that even his head felt dizzy.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn!"Jona screamed uncontrollably. While holding both sides of his head, and squeezing them tightly. As if wanting to smash his own head which was now throbbing unbearably.

"Why do i have to remember that damn memory again!? It's been years! You've already defeated your past memories, Jona! You've already killed your damn fear!"

Anything around him now felt like Jona could throw and smash it against the wall. Could smash anything into pieces. Jona needed an outlet. Anything that could help him unleash this deadly emotion, tormenting his mind, as if destroying him from within. This damn feeling that could drive him crazy. The decorative vases on the table were thrown to the floor. So were the cups he usually used to drink his favorite red wine. But even though almost the entire room had been destroyed by Jona, the complex feelings in his chest still hadn't dissipated.