The End

"Grandma… What's death? 

"Little one. Can you tell me how you came into my room?" She asked. 

"What?… Um, the door, Grandma. Through the door." He was baffled. 

"And how would you get out?" 

"Grandma! The door again. What are you trying to say?" 

The old woman was amused by his annoyance. She gripped his shoulders with her fragile hands and looked him in the eye. 

"My dear… You can't stay in this room forever. You have to leave at some point. Even if you wished to stay forever."

"What? Does that mean I can die too?" 

Nina laughed loudly at the kid's innocence and patted his dark hair. 

"Yes. Everyone will"

"Even mom and dad? ... even you, Grandma?" His eyes gazed eagerly as he teared up. 

She embraced him tightly before he could cry and rubbed the sorrowful tears off his face. 

"But... what happens after that, Grandma? He continued.

Her embrace loosened, and she froze momentarily. Nina looked at him gracefully as she assembled simple sentences in her head. She always had answers, didn't she? But not this time. Her ideas crumbled, and a sudden rush of sadness ran through her as she knew that she was going to make him upset. There was no way to put it easily for an eight-year-old.

"I wish I had an answer for that." She spoke, trembling and unsatisfactorily. 

"But…"

He was unable to talk. His head filled with clouded thoughts, his curiosity poisoned into dullness. Every second he spent thinking about his question caused his head to hurt, and without a single word to say, Yin rushed to his bedroom, deeply upset. But not as much as Nina. 

It was a terrible way to end the night. The upset voice of her dear grandson haunted her. 

She carefully placed her glasses on the bedside table, tucked herself into the bed, and slept the night away with a heavy heart. 

The next morning dawned as a quiet Saturday.

Yin had his breakfast and realized that Grandma wasn't awake yet. 

But it was too late.

"Who will tell me scary stories now?" Yin fell to the floor.

…

Only twenty minutes had passed, but the cops and the mortuary transporters arrived at the scene earlier than expected. 

Hundreds had gathered, but it was a suffocating space for such a crowd. The police force, the mortuary team, news reporters, students, trainers, Master Li, and Mei—everyone was present. The accident zone took place right behind the academy's compound, surrounded by reeking dumpsters and dead rats. The police force marched back and forth to every student and trainer from Yin's academy. No one had anything of importance to share. The trainers just praised his skill and potential. But it was Master Li who spoke of his dreadful life. Only he knew. He shared every little detail he could think of. However, it was a complete shock to the media, as none of his life was known to the public, despite his fame in the sport. They all wept for the poor soul.

"Good God! What have you put him through?" They exclaimed. 

Yin would've been absolutely disgusted by that statement. 

"Poor soul. You may rest in peace now dear." They kept mourning.

The mortuary workers approached Yin's lifeless body. His neck and his left leg were brutally fractured. It was his power leg. The ribs and the spinal cords were completely shattered, and his head was deeply dented in the back. There was a pool of blood from where he was being picked up. The mortuary workers and the police took notice of a girl who was holding his blood-soaked hands. Mei was neither crying nor sad. She just stared at him in disbelief. Some of the girls, including Kim, tried pulling her away. But her body resisted. 

"Mei. You have to get up now. They're taking him." Kim tried. 

But only when a policeman and Master Li came did she stand. Her white uniform and her hands were smeared with his blood. 

"Did you know this man, young lady?" The officer inquired. 

"Can I talk to her in private and get back to you, officer?" Master Li requested. 

"Go ahead, sir." 

The stretcher was brought near Yin's body, and the mortuary workers placed him carefully on top of it. He was being taken away, and photographers from the media repeatedly captured the scene.

Mei looked at his face one last time before he was draped in the white cloth. She noticed the shoes he had on. It was her gift, stained with lines of blood. Mei forced a painful smile on her face as Master Li led her to a corner. 

"Mei. I understand how you feel. But I want you to tell me what happened." 

"Do you really, Master? I doubt it." She responded softly but immediately, staring dead at the ground.

"Do you know how it feels to be abused and mentally tortured by your own parents, Master? I doubt it." She added with anger.

"Mei?" Master Li stopped.

"What are you saying, Mei?" 

"It was supposed to be me who belonged in that stretcher." Mei admitted. 

"Yin died saving me."

All the pain and tears she had stored for so long erupted into the world. Everyone turned to them. Her tears ran down uncontrollably. 

Master Li immediately embraced her like a father. There was no more explanation needed. He understood how much he had hurt her that day by embarrassing her in front of everyone. He felt ashamed of himself for being so rude.

"I'm extremely sorry, my dear. I didn't know! I didn't know!" His body shook in shame.

"I'm always here for you." He promised with a breaking voice.

Master Li treated every one of his students as his own. Given that he was unmarried and committed his entire life to teaching the sport, he had no relatives or family, and at times he would get furious and disappointed at his students for not doing well, just like a father would.

Mei left for home, and Master Li was ready to report to the officer about the situation.

He explained her father's sadistic behaviour. 

"This needs to be ended, sir. We will take immediate action towards the man." The officer announced strictly. 

"She's very traumatised and scared, Officer. And she was not even ready to share it with anyone for all these years. She wishes for this matter to be handled privately, without any media involvement. Please Officer…" Master Li pleaded. 

"She's been embarrassed enough." He sighed under his breath, distastefully. 

"Well understood, sir." 

The crowd slowly dispersed when Yin's body was taken away, but everyone were still pitying the dead orphan. A superstar who brought glory to his nation hid so much from the world—for what? Every time he won a major event, he would simply thank his master and walk out of the stage. He never responded to the press or attended any interviews. 

"I thank Master Li for this." That's all he ever said. 

It was almost 9 when Master Li made it to his room. He had not eaten or drunk anything since the afternoon. He reached out to the bottle on the desk and decided to flush some water into his system. As it slipped past his tongue, he choked. 

He clutched his throat tightly with both his hands and hit the cupboard behind him. His eyes squeezed in discomfort, and they turned red in an instant. After a few breaths, he was alive again. 

Li fell to the ground in relief, and his red eyes cried out. He screamed in agony, and it reflected back into his ears.

It was the worst day of his life. Today, he lost one of his kids and deeply hurt another.

Mei struggled to walk alone in the dimly lit street. She kept reminding herself of Yin's face. His calming face, sharp eyes, and dark uncombed hair that fell in front of his eyes. She instantly felt a rush of blood when she first saw him during the training camp. He looked simple, unlike the other kids. He wore a plain shirt and joggers and never spoke to anyone, like herself. She secretly adored his aggressive and tactical play style. Her brown eyes dilated every time they caught themselves looking at each other. He was the best out of anyone there. He never lost a single battle. She dreamt of playing against him one day. But would he even care to talk with her? She thought.

Mei burst out crying in the middle of the street.

…

Through what appeared to be an enormous glass-like window, he was able to see everything.

He saw Master Li lying on the floor on one side of the glass and Mei standing and sobbing on the other side of the glass. 

He could see everything, like it was being recorded on a camera. 

"Did I die? Where the fuck am I? Am I dreaming…?" 

But then he pinched himself, and it hurt.