Last part, Elio found out that Xalen completely failed his final test of his university year before his exams- however he didn't seem to be too sad as he revealed he has plans to try to become an actor. This idea however was instantly shut down by his parents, and so Elio once again goes to try to comfort his brother- only to find that he seems fine- and has some plans to keep himself occupied...

Elio's P.O.V.

A few hours later...

🎶🎶🎶

"Yeah- dropping from the top, he used to be the King. Ring out from confliction, but for how long- is it better to stay down or stand up and fight? Man like hell if I know what's right...... damn it." I curse after saying that last verse... I mean overall it sounds great even if my inspiration is pretty obvious. But that hit a little too close to home I guess...

"...Ha. Guess I know I can never try to be a rapper for SURE now, based on the reaction Xalen got from Mom and Dad about being an actor. ...Why do I care about that? It should've been obvious from the beginning. I can just do this stuff on the side of my courses. ...wait. Shit. Next year is just going to be even harder since I'm starting my internships too... I mean... suck it up. Could be worse..." I say with a frown and shrug my shoulders, then slap myself in the face after my eyes start to get teary.

"At least I actually kinda like my program- unlike Xalen. Yeah. I like learning about software and... physics... algebra... not so much... but I can bare them. My job will make all of this pay off... or... I hope I like it though. But... shit. Like I said before all I'll be doing then is making this place even more incompetent. I'll probably just be working on some software for those "living" registered citi-blobs in their chairs and headsets..." I think to myself as I stare down at my knees.

"...I wish those Red Fist people could have changed this place." I think to myself with a sigh... of course the news painted their leader Kodan out to be a terrible monster- but from my own research I found that that wasn't the entire story by a longshot.

"Whatever. They died out months ago now anyways... that's probably why Prósopsi was so happy during that Halloween Festival." I think to myself with a scoff as I regretfully look back up to my computer. The latest physics lecture I had was so confusing that I have a literal 40 year old webpage open on the screen- which yes I had to scour the web for. The author of the page seems to be some kid named Noble- damn... now I just feel stupid.

A few days later...

"...Xalen if this is a joke we are NOT laughing!" I hear mom shout out from his room... oh no... he said he was going to tell them about the test he bombed today... this is going to get bad.

I look down to my desk at my headphones... should I just tune this out?

"OH MY GOD XALEN!! You- there is NO way you can get the average you need now- even to just pass would be- AGH! What do you have to say for yourself?!" Dad shouts... no. I won't tune them out. I want to hear them at their worst to see if they really are this bad...

Anyways... Xalen doesn't reply, and a few seconds later I hear a loud slap coming from the room?!

"You... this will follow you on your records forever... on our- YOUR reputation. You're meant to be the of the smartest people of this continent- now you're just like the countless people who live in simulations every day. What happened Xalen?! Hah... your father and I will discuss whether or not we will be evicting you from our home." ...Mom says as I can hear both her and Dad stomping out of Xalen's room, and at the same time my eyes start to water... no way... how could they?! He still can save his marks- somehow- and after one test they're giving up on him?!

I get up from my chair and clench my fists as my parents pass by my room, getting ready to yell at them...

"......I can't." I think to myself as I continue to cry, then sit back down. I've talked back to them when they were mad in the past, and that did not go well at all. So if I talked back to them now after they're so mad as to disown their own kid... I-I can't. Damn it...

"Why am I feeling bad for myself? Xalen must feel terrible right now!" I think to myself as I shake my head and run out of my room, and then towards his without even knocking.

Inside of his room- I can see him leaning back on his chair with his hands over his eyes...

"Xalen. I promise. If they kick you out... I'll leave with you. You are NOT a failure..." At the same time, he starts to smile for some reason... then he starts to... laugh?

"Thank you, Elio. But please don't worry about me. I just don't like being yelled at- but I could care less about what they do to me anymore. They're just... bullies. Bullies who are just a small speck of this universe- they don't matter. Ha- neither does school. Being happy should be everyone's priorities, not fighting to get to the top in this ultra competitive world. ...I feel like the registered citizens got that part right at least." Xalen says as, surprisingly, his eyes are barely even teary after all of that... he's just smiling... but... I have a REALLY bad feeling about this.

"Xalen you're kinda scaring me here. ...Just know that everything is going to be alright." I say hesitatantly as he smirks and rolls his eyes at me.

"Why are you scared? Just because I have a better mindset now? That's pretty silly. And I know everything will be alright. Thanks again for supporting me still Elio." Xalen says... I... I mean... I guess he's fine? Lately he has been really good at coping with bad things so, I guess this makes sense.

"...No problem. See you later." Is all I say with a sigh as I leave his room.

A few days later...

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"Hey Xalen, dinner's ready. Dad made "roundabout" chilli..." I say as I walk into the room where Elio is... I've felt so bad these last few days... maybe because I'm worried about him...

More importantly, Mom and Dad... I feel bad calling them that. Either way, they still haven't decided on whether or not to kick Elio out. In the meantime, he doesn't even have a room anymore- and is being forced to do his studying in the living room of our apartment, and to sleep on the couch there too. That doesn't seem to be bothering at all him though, and he's not actually doing ANY work either- and instead just sleeping a lot.

"Oh nice. Coming." He says back to me as he gets off of the red leather couch he was sleeping on in an instant- no wonder he's hungry, sometimes Mom and Dad haven't even been letting him have breakfast...

They're also being quite awful to me as well. Like for one, putting extra pressure on me to study now- especially because my final exams are coming up next week. But I have a feeling even after that (IF Xalen doesn't get kicked out and I don't leave with him), they'll still be just as strict since Xalen is failing his courses now.

Thirty minutes later...

🍽🍽🍽

"Xalen, do know that us allowing you to stay here depends on how much studying you do- and have been doing. And so far we are not impressed." Mom says as she's standing by our kitchen sink, handing Dad our empty dinner bowls so that he can wash them.

"Yeah obviously- hah." Xalen replies which makes Mom glare at him.

A day later...

I walk towards the living room. Even in there he still plays his classical music which I can hear right now, I guess Mom and Dad don't mind it since they normally do their work in the kitchen.

"Hey what's up?" I ask as I turn around the corner, seeing Xalen standing in the center of the room, with him shakily holding Grandpa's white pistol up to his head.

I freeze for a second as he stares at me with wide open eyes- then without thinking I charge at him, pushing him down onto the wooden table behind us. I try to pin his hand that's holding the gun down onto the table with both of my own- but fuck he's too strong!!!

"MOM- DAD- HELP!!!" I scream- but before they can help he manages to rip my arms off of him and kick me away-

*BANG!*

I fall to the floor, as I can see Xalen holding the pistol by his side, and with his other hand he's holding his mouth as he starts to cry and shake.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" I can hear Dad shout.

"Oh God Elio I'm- I- I didn't mean to- I'm so-" Xalen starts to mumble, and at the same time I start to feel a weird pressure in my arm... looking at it, I can see blood pouring out of my shoulder... but no... Xalen!!

Mom starts to scream as she runs over to my side, and Dad starts to console Xalen as tears start to pour from his eyes, "Xalen. Just put. The gun. Down. Everything will be fine just... Xalen... Xalen listen to me." Dad starts to say without confidence as Xalen isn't letting go of the gun.

Then suddenly he swings it up to his head,

"XALEN STO-"

*BANG!*

A week later...

"...Why? Why did you do it?" I ask.

"...I'm sorry... I-I didn't mean to shoot you, my finger slipped..." Xalen meekly says back to me as he lies in his hospital bed in a white tiled room in said hospital. He also has a ton of bandages all across his head... he looks awful...

"Not that! I don't care about you shooting me, why did you try to- to end it?! Damn it Xalen- you're lucky to be alive, that bullet was CENTIMETERS away from killing you. By the time we got you here, you were practically dead..." I shout at him, but try to calm down near the end as he starts to cry as well...

"That... that was my only hope Elio... that was my plan. My way out. Now... now... even worse, th-they- Mom,  Dad, after my treatment they're going to be taking me back home... why did YOU stop me Elio? I really am done for now..." Xalen says- and so I yell-

"So you expected me to sit back and let you die?! Xalen- you said you pray and believe in the Five Kings don't you? If I remember right- they do NOT like it when people kill themselves, so who knows maybe you would have gone to hell! You think that's better then being stuck with shitty parents?! Y-" Suddenly I get interuppted as someone big pulls me out of the rooms open door as I try to fight them off.

*SLAM!*

"Be quiet! You're in a hospital for God's sake. And take it easy on your brother... he's obviously hurting right now." The voice that grabbed me says as they finally let me go... it's the monster... my "Dad". And my "Mom" directly next to him in this Hospital's hallway.

I don't care anymore. I need to say this.

"YOU'RE the reason he's hurting! YOU never taking it easy on him is the reason he EVER tried this shit!" I shout again as I shove my finger into "Dad's" chest.

"Elio quiet-"

"Did you ever even ask if he wanted to be a Software Engineer?! Because it turns out- he told me, he HATED it. And he hated how you dwelled into all of his stuff too- you gave us ZERO privacy and freedom yet we're both near our twenties! And then to top it all off, when he was in his darkest times- you threaten to kick him out of the house?!" I continue to scream as Dad forcibly tries to cover my mouth, but stop as I can see a group of nurses approaching us from down the hall.

A few minutes later...

"Was that worth it Elio? Getting kicked out of the hospital and making yourself look like a fool, just to spout some nonsense?" Mom asks as us three are standing on the dirty cracked sidewalk in front of the hospital, with the artificial sky above us of course being dark as always, only being lit by the countless buildings around us.

"Nonsense? Please don't tell me you're not blaming yourselves for this." I say as I keep on taking deep breaths...

Dad says without hesitation, "Of course we aren't. Your brother suddenly grew poor habits which led to his... attempt. If he had kept up his studying he would have been fine, happily and educationally."

Mom then continues, "...We... may have gone overboard with saying we would kick him out of the house- but surely he should have known it was, unlikely, we would have actually gone through with it. But now- good can come from this too. Doctors are already interested in studying Xalen to find out how exactly one can live with a bullet wound to the head- and we'll be making good money from it too. Of course it will be good for science as well to help others in similar situations to his." Mom says as I glare at her, with her looking at me without remorse as Dad is standing tall next to her with his arms crossed... dear God... they're monsters.

"You two- you- you make me sick! I... hah... can I just go home?" I scream again- but calm down, as I realize that if I yell at them anymore- they won't even let me go back...

"Fine. It's a short walk back, but still be VERY careful. All sorts of homeless people are out here" Dad says as he groans and takes our apartment keys out of his pant pocket, then tosses them at my chest.

"I'm done. I will NOT end up like Xalen... I have to get my things and leave. The streets are better than a guaranteed death." I think to myself as I start to run along the sidewalk away from the hospital.

A/N: Elio's life is sent into chaos after Xalen's hospitalization, and now he's made a new decision- for better or for worse...

I hope you guys consider voting or commenting if you enjoyed, thanks for your continued support even with my slower updates- and see you two weeks from now!