The Last Bargain

Chapter XL: Ghosts Of Shin's Past

Shin stood amidst the swirling shadows, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps, his eyes fixed on Raito as he fought against the shadows' control. Every strike, every movement brought back memories he had long tried to bury—memories of his own failures, his own doubts, his own past.

Years Ago, in a Town Far from Shinsenchou...

Shin had grown up in a small, humble town far from the bustling center of Shinsenchou, a town where people lived simple lives. His family was poor—his father a struggling farmer, his mother working odd jobs wherever she could. Even as a young child, Shin could feel the weight of his family's hardship, the worry etched into his parents' faces every time they looked at their dwindling supplies or counted the coins in their small, battered purse.

From a young age, Shin felt an intense pressure to make something of himself, to become someone who could lift his family out of poverty. He was the eldest son, the one who would carry the family's hopes and dreams on his shoulders. His parents never spoke it aloud, but he could see it in their eyes—the silent expectation that he would find a way to change their fortunes.

But there was a problem. Unlike some of the other children in town, who began to display unique abilities as they grew older, Shin showed no signs of any special talent. He had no abilities that marked him as extraordinary. He was ordinary, just another face in the crowd, and that knowledge weighed on him heavily.

Determined not to let his family down, Shin decided to leave home at a young age. He packed a small bag with his few belongings, and before he left, he looked back at his family's tiny, worn-down house one last time. He promised his parents he would return only when he had succeeded in his goals, only when he could provide them with the life they deserved.

"I'll come back," he had said to his mother, his voice filled with the forced bravado of youth. "I promise, I'll make you proud."

His mother had smiled, a sad, tired smile, and nodded. "We believe in you, Shin," she replied. "But remember, no matter what happens, you'll always have a home here."

Shin nodded, swallowing hard, and turned away. As he walked down the dusty road out of town, he felt a mix of fear and excitement—a sense of purpose that filled him with determination. He would make something of himself. He would become someone who mattered.

But as the years went by, things didn't go as planned. Shin traveled from town to town, trying his hand at anything and everything: martial arts, crafting, studying under scholars, but nothing seemed to stick. Each endeavor ended in failure, and each failure felt like a blow to his already fragile confidence.

He tried to learn the sword from a traveling warrior but was too weak to keep up with the training. He apprenticed himself to a blacksmith but lacked the patience and skill for the craft. He even tried his hand at performing in town squares, mimicking the moves of street performers, but his efforts were met with laughter and ridicule.

"Just give up, kid," an old shopkeeper had told him once, shaking his head with pity. "You don't have the knack for any of this. Maybe it's best you head back home."

But Shin couldn't go back. Not yet. He had made a promise. He couldn't return with nothing to show for his efforts, with nothing to offer his family. So, he pressed on, determined to find his place in the world, to find something that would prove his worth.

And then, one day, while staying in a small town, he heard the news. A traveler passing through mentioned a tragedy in a distant village, a place far away from Shinsenchou—his hometown. Rogue ability users had attacked it, leaving destruction in their wake. Shin felt his blood turn to ice as he realized it was his own village being described, the words sinking into him like knives.

His family. His home.

Shin ran as fast as he could, his heart pounding in his chest, praying that it wasn't true, that somehow, it had all been a mistake. But when he arrived, he found the ruins of his childhood home, reduced to rubble. He found the small fields his father had tended to every day, now scorched and barren. He found the neighbors, their faces filled with grief and horror.

But he did not find his family.

He learned that his parents had died in the attack, their bodies never recovered. Some said they had been burned beyond recognition; others whispered that they had been taken by the rogue ability users. His younger sister's fate was left unknown; no one had seen her since the attack.

Shin stood there, amidst the ruins of his home, feeling an emptiness swallow him whole. He had left to make something of himself, to bring back riches and pride to his family, to give them a better life. But instead, he had left them behind. He had abandoned them when they needed him most.

"If only I had stayed..." he whispered to himself, his voice hollow, his heart breaking. "If only I hadn't been so selfish..."

From that moment on, guilt became his constant companion. The guilt of having left, the guilt of not dying with them, the guilt of surviving when they had not. It twisted inside him, a constant whisper in the back of his mind, telling him he had failed, that he was a coward for running away.

I ran away to pursue my own dreams, he thought, and my family paid the price.

He began to call himself "Humanity's Greatest Loser" as a way to mock his own failure, to punish himself for what he saw as his ultimate betrayal. He couldn't bring himself to return to his hometown, couldn't bear to face the empty, ruined streets where his family had once lived. Instead, he wandered aimlessly, seeking something—anything—that might ease the burden of his guilt.

And then, he began to discover his ability. His keen perceptive skills allowed him to copy any movement he saw, to learn techniques from others with an uncanny accuracy. But even that felt hollow. What good was his ability, when it couldn't protect the ones he loved? What good was his gift, when he had no one to share it with?

It was then that he had met Zento in Shinsenchou, through sheer coincidence, he had met someone who seemingly admired him. Shin felt that, even though they were so vastly different, they carried the same burdens. 

Raito too, had shown him how abilities were more a curse than a gift, and through trying to save him from his nihilistic beliefs, he had formed an unlikely bond.

Back in the present, amidst the dark battlefield where the shadows swirled, Shin's breath steadied, his heart still pounding with fear but now filled with a fierce determination.

He looked at Raito, who stood lost in the grip of the shadows, and thought, I couldn't save my family... but I will save my friend.

"Raito," he whispered again, louder this time. "I failed before, but I won't fail now. I won't leave you behind... I won't run away again."

The shadows hissed and tightened their grip around Raito, but Shin stepped forward, unafraid, ready to face whatever came next.

This time, he vowed silently, I won't let anyone down.