Those who couldn't see the monsters were not wrong to criticize him.
But he wasn't wrong for being able to see them, either.
He didn't need to feel guilty about it.
The emotions that had built up inside him because of the disappointment in his parents' eyes had finally eased now that he'd found someone like him—
Someone like him...
A companion who could see monsters, too.
He could call Eldest Brother Xiao his companion, couldn't he...?
He had a companion now, too...
At last, he felt some of the weight lift from his heart.
He'd thought he would spend his whole life walking on eggshells, going through life misunderstood...
But now, he could see a glimmer of hope.
"Eldest Brother Xiao, would you..."
Wei Yu Chen swallowed. "Would you still be willing to help me?"
It felt like ages since he'd last asked someone for help.
He was incredibly nervous.
His words came out haltingly, awkward and unfamiliar.
"I..."
But he knew.
This was an opportunity.
A rare one.
If he missed it, he might not get another.
He wanted to seize it.
He wanted to change.
"Do you want me to help you?"
Xiao Xiao looked at Wei Yu Chen.
Wei Yu Chen nodded emphatically.
Then, as if remembering something, he said, "...I do."
"Eldest Brother Xiao, I hope you'll help me."
"I..."
"Don't want to go on like this."
He'd gotten used to it by now.
To retreat into his own world.
To go on living beneath other people's strange looks.
But Eldest Brother Xiao's arrival had awakened in him a desire to break free from this future, a future with nothing to look forward to.
"I..."
"Want to be like you..."
Wei Yu Chen lowered his voice.
He wanted to be like Eldest