Share

Chapter 6

Author: Laughing Ribs
I froze. For years, I had dragged a ruined leg and a useless right hand behind me, convinced this was my life now, permanent and unchangeable.

And now the Shared-Sense System was telling me those injuries could be transferred to someone else.

Joy surged through me so violently that my hands began to shake.

"I accept," I said without hesitation.

[Option accepted.]

The operating room doors slid open.

Nelson, Stefan, and Amber, still sobbing, all turned at once as the doctor pulled off his ma
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Pain Is a Family Matter   Chapter 8

    Stefan dragged the limp leg he had taken from Viola and lured Amber out. He claimed he had once promised to buy her a crown and invited her to browse jewelry.Amber suspected nothing.As the car traveled farther from the city center, unease crept in. Amber sensed something was wrong.Panic surged, and she grabbed Stefan's arm and cried, "Stefan, what are you doing? Did you forget? I'll always be your little princess. I'm your sister, Amber. Your Amber."Stefan snapped, seizing her by the throat."I don't have a sister who brings only misfortune," he said hoarsely. "My sister is Viola. Only Viola."Amber fought back with everything she had. Years of extreme stunts had sharpened her survival instincts.Stefan's body was also weak. His life revolved around touring, piano practice, and caution. He could not match someone who faced danger daily.Amber overpowered him with ease.Stefan screamed for the driver.The driver, frozen with terror, had already sped away.Stefan lay bound

  • Pain Is a Family Matter   Chapter 7

    Cool wind rushed past my face. For a split second, I felt like a bird spreading its wings.Then I slammed into the mountainside.The impact was brutal. Hard stone crashed into my body, as if it meant to tear me apart.I bounced, rolled, and slammed again. This time, a jagged ridge tore across my chest, splitting my skin open. By the time I finally reached the bottom, my clothes hung in shredded rags.From the viewing platform above, one of my brothers screamed. I could not tell which one.I leaned against the rock wall and forced myself upright.The Shared-Sense System's voice echoed in my ears.[Severe injury detected. The host has reached a near-death state. All accumulated old injuries will now be randomly transferred to one bound target.]Another scream rang out from the platform.I looked down at myself. Beneath the torn fabric, my body was intact. I had no broken bones or twisted limbs.I started walking. Step by step, I climbed back up toward the viewing platform. Thic

  • Pain Is a Family Matter   Chapter 6

    I froze. For years, I had dragged a ruined leg and a useless right hand behind me, convinced this was my life now, permanent and unchangeable.And now the Shared-Sense System was telling me those injuries could be transferred to someone else.Joy surged through me so violently that my hands began to shake."I accept," I said without hesitation.[Option accepted.]The operating room doors slid open.Nelson, Stefan, and Amber, still sobbing, all turned at once as the doctor pulled off his mask."He's alive," he said. "But there's a high chance he'll never wake up. He needs to stay in the ICU for observation."Justin was wheeled away.During visiting hours, I went in once. He lay motionless on the bed, tubes snaking across his body, machines humming at his sides.The doctor said he still retained consciousness and that familiar voices might help. Family members were supposed to speak to him, call his name, and remind him of the past.So I did.I said softly at his bedside, "Ju

  • Pain Is a Family Matter   Chapter 5

    I worried for more than 10 days before Justin finally returned.He opened the car door. No Ritualist was inside."I couldn't find him," Justin said flatly. "The other Ritualists all said they've never seen anything like this. From now on, we're on our own."He paused, then went on, his tone measured, as if he had rehearsed every word, "I've thought it through. The Misfortune Vessel spell on Viola is what's malfunctioning, but the source is still Amber. As long as we protect Amber properly, no one's life will be in danger."The irony cut deep.When I was the Misfortune Vessel, they encouraged Amber to be free, passionate, and fearless. They urged her to chase danger, to "live fully," to find meaning through extremes. Now that the pain transferred to them, they locked her away completely.When Amber slipped on the stairs, Justin immediately ordered her room to be moved to the first floor.When she burned her mouth on hot water, Nelson snapped at the staff. "No more hot drinks for

  • Pain Is a Family Matter   Chapter 4

    My body suddenly felt light, as if someone had ripped a massive wad of cotton from my chest. The pressure and pain vanished. I felt clean, almost unreal.My brothers clustered together a short distance away. I could not tell who had died. I saw only a mangled shape at the center of them, flesh torn apart, blood pouring down in thick streams around his feet.I walked toward them.Amber stood outside the circle. She looked like a wooden doll pinned in place, her face drained of color."That's impossible," she whispered. "How could this happen…"When she saw me standing upright and completely unhurt, she screamed, "Viola, how are you fine?"Her voice cracked. "The one injured should've been you. Why is it Rayden?"She lunged forward and grabbed my collar, her fingers shaking. "What did you do? What did you use to kill him?""So you admit you meant to get hurt," I said calmly.She froze. Her eyes darted away. She gave no answer.The others finally noticed the commotion.Justin w

  • Pain Is a Family Matter   Chapter 3

    It was the kind of pain that split me open from the inside, as if someone had taken an axe to my body and kept swinging.[Second pain threshold detected above 90. Pain transfer increased to 65% for bound targets.]I lay curled on a stretcher, barely aware of where my limbs were or how they were positioned.Voices collided beside me. My brothers argued with the doctors."This young woman is critical," a doctor snapped. "You don't have a single visible injury. You can wait for the next ambulance.""She's about to die," a nurse added."But we're in pain too," one of my brothers insisted. "What if it's internal bleeding? I can barely stand."The doctors stopped listening and wheeled me straight into the ambulance.Anesthetic flooded my veins, and the world dissolved.-After two hours of surgery, I surfaced slowly, as though hauling myself up from the bottom of deep water.Outside the ward, familiar voices drifted in. My brothers and Amber sounded confused and uneasy."The doct

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status