As a result, hatred had once consud Kevin to the point where he had nearly wanted to kill Monk Anaro.
The thought had burned hot and savage in his chest, choking him every ti he rembered his father’s final monts.
Yet before he could act on that impulse, fate struck again. His mother, unable to withstand the shock of her husband’s sudden death, collapsed under the weight of grief and followed him soon after.
The house that once echoed with voices turned eerily silent.
Just as Kevin stood frozen, wondering how he was supposed to handle the mounting dical expenses alone, tragedy delivered its final blow. His younger brother, the very reason everything had begun, died as well.
In the span of days, Kevin lost everything.
The sll of disinfectant, the suffocating quiet of hospital corridors, the cold hardness of tiled floors beneath his knees... those mories fused together until he no longer knew where one pain ended and another began. He felt hollow, abandoned, drifting without direction.
Two days later, Monk Anaro reappeared.
When Anaro learned of the chain of events, guilt crushed him. Without hesitation, he took Kevin in and formally adopted him, as though doing so might atone for a debt carved into his soul.
From that very mont, Kevin made a silent vow.
’I will make him suffer.’
That thought beca his purpose, sharp and unyielding. Slowly, it corroded everything else.
Kevin had once been gifted, particularly in Dream Warden cultivation, where his talent had drawn quiet praise.
But hatred poisoned his focus. He clung to the belief that Monk Anaro must pay, and to ensure that paynt, he plunged himself into gambling and illegal dealings without restraint.
Each misstep stabbed at Monk Anaro’s heart.
Ti and again, Anaro pleaded with him, his voice heavy with sorrow, reminding him that his father would never have wanted to see him like this.
Kevin ignored every word, convinced that only by ruining himself could he truly tornt the man burdened by guilt.
The vision faded.
Lana ca back to herself, the present snapping into place. Kevin stood before her with his head lowered, his gaze fixed stubbornly on the stone floor, resentnt simring in the tight line of his jaw.
She released a quiet sigh.
"Even if your past is tragic," her voice flowed calm and steady, "it does not give you the right to abuse another person’s guilt."
Kevin stiffened.
He had never told her the full story. He had only ntioned that his father died saving Monk Anaro. Yet her tone carried an understanding that cut too close, as though she had seen everything.
’How does she know?’
A sudden thought surfaced. He rembered the healing energy she had used before.
’A healer... or sothing far more dangerous?’
Before he could piece it together, Lana spoke again.
"From today onward, you will stop gambling."
Kevin snapped his head up, faint hatred flashing in his eyes.
"Who do you think you are?" His voice trembled with anger.
"Do you even know what I lost? Do you know the pain I went through? I will make Monk Anaro’s life miserable. If he can’t bear it, he can cut ties with . He can stop pretending to be my father."
His lips curled bitterly.
"That old fogey only adopted so I wouldn’t kill him."
The mont those words left his mouth, the air turned cold.
Lana’s eyes hardened.
The next second, her palm cracked across Kevin’s face with a sharp, echoing slap. The sting rang through his skull, leaving him stunned.
He opened his mouth, fury surging...
"Would your father be proud of the person you are right now?"
The question struck harder than the slap.
Kevin froze, his breath caught in his throat.
Lana did not stop.
"Have you ever wondered why Monk Anaro adopted you?" Her gaze bore into him. "Why he refused to abandon you even after your gambling debts spiraled out of control?"
Resentnt flickered in Kevin’s eyes, but before he could spit his venom, her calm voice cut in again.
"If guilt alone were his reason, he would have let you go by now. Guilt does not justify what you’ve done. And yet, he keeps trying to pull you back. That ans sothing."
Kevin clenched his fists.
"Then what?" he demanded bitterly. "Should I accept him just because he’s kind? Your logic is twisted."
Lana laughed softly, though there was no warmth in it.
"If you truly hate him that much, then cut ties completely." Her eyes sharpened. "He never asked your father to save him. And what stuns most is that your father acted of his own free will."
She stepped closer.
"You claim you’re making Monk Anaro pay, but in reality, you’re only destroying yourself. Would your father want this?"
Kevin faltered, confusion creeping into his expression.
Lana had seen the truth in the vision, and now she laid it bare.
"In that accident, both n could have survived if no one moved. Yet your father pushed himself fully onto Monk Anaro." Her lips curved into a cold smile. "Why do you think he did that?"
Kevin stared at her, mind reeling.
"Because," Lana continued quietly, "he knew he could never afford your brother’s treatnt. So he made a choice. A desperate, calculated one. He wanted Monk Anaro to live with unbearable guilt, enough to pay for your brother’s dical bills."
Kevin’s eyes widened.
"That’s impossible," he muttered hoarsely. "That old monk disappeared after telling us the truth."
Lana laughed softly.
"Did you ever question why he left for two days and then returned?" she asked. "If he felt no guilt, no sha, why leave at all?"
Kevin stood speechless.
"He likely went to find money," Lana added calmly. "Loans, favors, anything he could manage. Your father hoped he would take responsibility, and Monk Anaro did... just not with enough resources."
Kevin shook his head weakly.
"Instead of acting blindly," Lana chuckled, "you should investigate."
She turned away, her steps unhurried.
"Even if that wasn’t your father’s intention," her voice drifted back to him, "I still can’t understand why you chose to ruin your own life."
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