Heartless

"You murderer. You killed him. You killed your father. I should have killed you in my womb. Wooo!" Amber screamed while weeping next to Stan's motionless body.

"He isn't dead yet," I said coldly to Amber, who kept crying and jerking Stan's body, which had fallen unconscious due to blood loss.

"Yet? Then you plan on killing your father? He wasn't perfect, but he raised you so far. You ungrateful bastard!" Amber spoke, defending Stan. 

I gazed into Amber's eyes with a cold stare and said, "He didn't raise me, nor did you, but Grandma did. She raised me. Don't you dare forget that."

"Who do you think gave that old wench money to feed you and clothe you when she quit working because of her heart disease. We did. You ungrateful mutt." Amber snapped. 

"Hahaha!" I laughed maniacally at Amber's words, and then—

*Chukk!* 

I dashed towards Amber and stabbed her left thigh. And yelled, "How dare you call my grandmother an old wench in front of me?"

"AAARRRRGGGHH!" Amber cried out in pain as blood gushed out of her thigh.

"I bet Stan didn't know you cared for him enough to take a knife for him. Isn't he a lucky guy?" I commented, looking at Amber, who kept moaning in pain. 

"HNGH!" Amber groaned in pain. 

"Don't worry about Stan. Worry for yourself. In a few minutes, you both will have to continue your affair in the underworld." I reminded Amber that if she did not get medical care soon, her condition would be no better than Stan's. 

"Ryan, give me the health potion! I am begging you. Please hurry. Otherwise, I will bleed to death." Amber began begging for her life. A stab reminded her that she is in no position to care for others. 

"Amber, I will be honest with you. In my eyes, you are not worth enough for me to waste a potion on you."  I answered Amber's plea heartlessly while fiddling with the health potion in my hands. 

"I am sorry for all the things I put you through! Ryan, please forgive me. I beg you. Please give me the potion." Begging for forgiveness for what she did to late Ryan, Amber pleaded for a health potion. But I didn't find any remorse or guilt in her eyes. Right now, she was willing to say and do anything to get her hands on a health potion.

"Amber, begging will not get you anywhere. If I were you, I would start making peace with my untimely demise or find another way out of this." I said nonchalantly while juggling the blood knife and health potion. 

"Ryan, don't be so cruel. No matter how angry you are at me, I am still your mother. Please show mercy and give me the health potion. I am begging you." 

"You finally remembered you are my mother? Funny how this relationship only works when you need something from me." 

I will follow your example and do what you did to me in my time of need, Abandon me. That's right. I will abandon you as you did to me nine years ago!" I didn't have a shred of pity for Amber or Stan. Suppose I had been a little careless. I would be the one lying on the floor covered in my blood. Therefore no matter how much Amber pleaded and begged, I did not cave to them. 

"How can you be so heartless? After all, I am your mother!" Amber screamed frantically. It seemed she had begun mentally breaking down. 

"Heartless, you would know, wouldn't you." I felt nothing but scorn for Amber. 

"Please, Ryan! I am your mother. Please pass me the health potion." Amber begged while tears had her mascara running down her cheeks. 

As much as I would love to watch Amber bleed to death, I wasn't done playing with her, " Sigh!  Amber, you are right. After all, you are my mother—" 

"Ryan, I knew you would come around. Hurry, give me the health potion. I am starting to feel light-headed." Amber's eyes sparkled as she asked for the potion eagerly. 

"Wait, you didn't let me finish. I never said that I would give you the health potion. Let me repeat. I will not give you the health potion. But considering that you are my mother, I will do the next best thing by telling you how you can heal those mortal wounds on your body. Aren't I the best son ever or what?" Hearing my words, the sparkle in Amber's eyes vanished, and signs of despair became visible. 

"... How can I heal these wounds?" Though Amber was not enthused as before when she thought I would be giving her the health potion, the desire to survive could be seen burning in her eyes. 

I bet if I asked Amber to kill Stan to get a health potion, she would do it in a heartbeat without a second thought. That's how desperate she was to survive.  

"Attempt the tower tutorials. If you die there, the tower will resurrect you out here. And if you somehow manage to complete the trial, you gain full recovery as a part of the rewards." I answered while searching in Amber's eyes whether she had what it takes to enter the tower, knowing that she would have to die to survive.  

"..." Amber grew silent. It seemed that she was considering my idea. After all, it was the only sure-fire way that guaranteed her survival hundred percent. 

"If I were you, I wouldn't waste time thinking about it but jump into the tower head first," I said, looking at Amber, who was lost in her thoughts, weighing her options. 

"I can do it." Chanting those words, Amber limped towards the bedroom door, and, pointing at the door, she commanded, "Designate Private Entrance." 

"Yes," confirming her option, Amber held the doorknob and answered, 'yes.' 

The bedroom door opened to a pitch-black passage, and witnessing the darkness in the passage, Amber showed signs of second thoughts, so I gave her a helping hand by pushing her into her private tower entrance.