Chapter 1 “The First Memory”
It was an incredibly cold night. The road was so quiet that it was impossible to hear any noise at all. Branches and trunks that had died off decorated the landscape of the park. Snow that was completely white and pure felt from the sky. A person was seen entering the park before settling down on one of the benches there.
The person, Allen, sighed as he attempted to breathe through his scarf while lowering his head. “Sigh...” His nose felt like it was frozen.
The wind caused Allen to tremble, but he did not move even an inch in any direction. Allen remained completely still. He deliberately exposed himself to the extreme cold that was present in the air. He desired to stop the flow of time.
Deep within his heart, he allowed himself to retain resentment. It was difficult for him to go back to his home. His heart would hurt even more than it already did if he did. It was the same house that continued to torment him to this day, the same house where he returned and found no one there to greet him when he arrived.
It did not matter what time of day or night it was, his father was always drinking alcohol. He was an alcoholic. Allen was aware of the fact that he not only despises but he was also terrified of his father. It had been three years since his mother passed away. She was in a grave condition when she was still alive. Because of their financial situation, his family was unable to afford for her to be hospitalized and get proper treatment. The situation was becoming worse because his father blew all of the money on gambling and drinking.
Allen was able to recollect in great detail the challenges that his mother faced in order to secure financial support for the family. There were a number of part-time jobs that she had up until the point where she fell ill with the disease that finally led to her death.
It was totally and completely his father's fault...
“Allen!” a voice yelled, bringing him jolting back to the present. “Allen! I finally found you! I heard that you've been having another argument with your father. Are you ok?” Allen's best friend, Benji, asked and immediately gave him a hug.
“I'm... fine...” Allen replied coldly. He was lying. He was not fine in any way at all. He wanted to die. It was impossible for him to carry on living like this.
“Don't worry, I'm here, Allen,” Benji said and he tightened his grip on Allen's fists. Allen's eyes began to well up with tears almost immediately, and he tried to keep them from falling out.
“Ben... Can I... sleep at your place?” Allen asked as he wiped away the tears that were falling down his face. It was unpleasant for him to appear vulnerable in front of his best buddy. He felt embarrassed but there was nothing he could do about it. When Allen and his father got into a fight, he always ended up spending the night at Benji's house rather than at his own. This continued to happen every time.
“Of course, hurry up. Let's get out of here before you freeze to death...” Benji reached out and grabbed Allen's hand. The temperature was low, and Allen's palm was icy cold to the touch. Benji halted his movement and warmed Allen's hand by shaking it a couple of times.
“Thanks, Ben. You are the only person who cares about me. I thank you...” Allen remarked while displaying a smile for the first time on his face.
“Allen... You are always welcome. Let’s go!” Benji said.
“Here...” Allen gladly accepted Benji's offer to give him a drink of water without any hesitation, and Benji was pleased beyond measure. Benji lived by himself. He moved away from the United States and settled down in this country by himself a few years ago. He was required to finish his study in this city, which was a considerable distance away from his home, his parents. As a single man, he hoped to live a life filled with joy and fulfillment. Getting married was not something he desired to do for the time being. Nobody was aware of the reasons for his actions. Allen, who had been his best buddy ever since they were both in middle school, was also completely clueless.
“Tha...” The glass shattered on the ground after Allen's fall.
PRANGG!
“Allen! Are you ok?” Benji asked. Allen was gripping his upper arm and grinning through the discomfort he was feeling.
Benji started folding Allen's long-sleeved shirt as soon as he realised what was happening. It came to his attention that Allen had a bruise on his arm that he never had any idea about. The swelling was quite severe too.
“Allen! Why didn't you tell me? Did your father do this again?” Benji questioned worriedly.
“I didn't want to be a bother to you any more...” Allen whispered the words.
“Allen... Hold on, is it clear? I'll fetch some medicine...” Benji stated as he went somewhere else in the house.  As he returned a few minutes later, he was holding a box of medical supplies in his hand. After he has finished cleaning the wound, he will then bandage Allen's hand.
“Done!” Benji stated while smiling at Allen in an effort to cheer him up.
“Thanks...” Allen simply nodded his head and smiled in response.
“Allen, you can sleep in my room.” Benjir suggested. “I'll sleep on the sofa.” Benji determined even Allen protested. In the end, Allen gave up and used Benji's bed to get some rest.
“Allen, I'll go now. While I'm gone, please make sure to take good care of yourself, okay?” Benji hugged Allen before he left home. Benji was a student at the academic institution. He needed to be in class before 8 in the morning.
“Yeah, thanks. What do you think of breakfast?” Allen asked. It was him who was responsible for preparing the breakfast in the kitchen. If Allen were to inquire about his special ability, he would say that it was his ability to cook.
“Just as delicious as always!” Benji smiled.
Allen entered the living room after Benji had left, and he instantly sat down on one of the sofas there. Though he was still experiencing some pain from his injuries, he made an effort to try not to be bothered by it. In quiet contemplation, he raised his gaze to the ceiling and sighed. Due to the fact that he did not get enough sleep the night before, he was still feeling fatigued. The nightmare was totally to blame, the same nightmare that had always followed him about ever since he was a child. It was the same nightmare throughout his entire life. 'That' was something that his father did.
Allen gently closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep.
“Hey!” a voice reverberated in Allen's earlap. “Hey! Wake up! Are you ok?” The voice was heard once more in an echo.
“Nooo!” Allen suddenly screamed. Just a few moments later, he abruptly awoke and kicked the individual who was standing in front of him. He had just emerged from the nightmare that he had been enduring for countless times. The individual had a fall and then rolled onto the ground.
“YAAAA! Why did you kick me?!” asked the person who Allen just kicked.
Allen was really taken aback. He was under the impression that he had just kicked Benji, but it quickly became clear that he was mistaken. The person in question was dressed in a casual manner, which consisted of a white shirt and dark blue trousers. His face was rather attractive, particularly when compared to the sparkling dark brown hair that he possessed. Whenever Allen thought of the brown orb eyes that were staring at him, he experienced a chilling sensation in his stomach. 
He was becoming hypnotised by it.