THE LIGHT HE CLAIMED

Prologue

I wished for you to die in the most painful, brutal way imaginable. I wanted you to suffer the same cruelty you inflicted on your victims. I prayed for your death-slow, inhumane, and merciless.

You're not God. So how do you kill so easily, without remorse? You're not deaf, but you didn't hear their screams-their cries begging for mercy.

I hate you. With every breath I take, I hate you more. If I could have one wish, it would be your death.

But... why?

Why can't I do it? Why can't I kill you, even after you told me to?

Why? Why does it hurt me when you're hurt? Why do I still pray you come home safe, unharmed, not caught by the police?

Even in death, even in the afterlife-I can't let go of you.

Xantheus...

News Report

The body of the missing teenage girl has been found. After three long months of searching, her body was discovered floating in the river in Cainta, Rizal, just after midnight. Authorities confirmed the tragic end to what had been a desperate search. Residents-especially women-are urged to remain alert and cautious.

---

"Mom, I'm leaving now," I said, grabbing my bag and walking over to kiss her cheek.

"Come home early, sweetheart. You saw the news. It's not safe out there," she warned.

"Stuff like that won't reach our place," I joked, laughing a little. But she looked at me sharply.

"Okay, okay! I'll be home early. I promise-you'll see me before dark," I said, kissing her cheek again.

"Alright, go on. Just don't stay out late," she said as she turned off the TV. I nodded and stepped outside.

I should have listened.

I should have come home early, just like she said.

"Dance. I said dance!"

I flinched at his voice, loud and angry, followed by the crash of a beer bottle smashing against the wall.

Shards of glass scattered across the floor.

I was crying, shaking my head, begging with my eyes. He clenched his jaw, staring at me with pure rage.

It's been three months since he forced me into his car that Friday night. I was on my way home from a group study when it happened.

He pressed a cloth over my face something soaked in chemicals.I passed out almost instantly.

When I woke up, my hands were tied to the headboard. I didn't understand why he had taken me. Was it for money?

No. We weren't rich. And he clearly wasn't poor, judging by the house and his lifestyle.

I couldn't make sense of it.

He raped me. Repeatedly. Every single day, for a week straight. No breaks, no mercy. Just pain and exhaustion until I could barely move.

That tiny red room became my entire world.

I begged over and over, but he never listened.