Yandere Stream

Eden couldn’t breathe.

The figure at the end of the hallway looked exactly like him.

Not similar.

Not close.

Exactly.

Same small face. Same dark eyes. Same messy hair. Same thin scar near his eyebrow that Eden had somehow forgotten existed until that moment. Even the way the boy stood was familiar, shoulders slightly hunched, hands hanging loosely at his sides as though he had been caught somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.

But Eden was already six years old.

There shouldn’t have been another him.

The boy smiled.

”Hello.”

Nobody answered.

Eve moved first.

She stepped in front of Eden, putting herself between him and the creature.

”Don’t look at him.”

Eden frowned.

”Why?”

”Because he’ll recognize you.”

”I think he already does.”

Eve’s expression tightened.

”That isn’t what I mean.”

The boy at the end of the corridor tilted his head.

”Eve.”

She froze.

The boy smiled wider.

”You’re still trying to protect them.”

Eve slowly turned toward him.

”You don’t belong here.”

”Neither do you.”

The hospital lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then every light in the hallway went out.

Eden heard Luna gasp.

Someone grabbed his hand.

He knew immediately who it was.

Luna.

Her fingers were tiny and trembling.

”Don’t let go,” she whispered.

”I won’t.”

A second hand grabbed his other arm.

Mira.

”We need to leave.”

Eden looked at Eve.

”What is he?”

Eve didn’t answer.

”Mira?”

Mira shook her head.

Nobody said anything.

Even Finn looked frightened.

The boy began walking toward them.

Step.

Step.

Step.

His bare feet made almost no sound against the hospital floor.

Eden watched him approach.

There was something wrong with his movement.

Not unnatural.

Too natural.

Like he had practiced walking toward Eden thousands of times.

The boy stopped several feet away.

”You don’t remember me.”

Eden stared.

”No.”

The boy smiled.

”You should.”

”Who are you?”

The boy looked at Eve.

Then Mira.

Then Luna.

Then the others.

Finally, his eyes returned to Eden.

”I was the first one.”

Eden frowned.

”The first what?”

The boy smiled.

”The first you.”

Eve immediately grabbed Eden’s shoulder.

”Don’t listen.”

The boy laughed.

”You always say that.”

Eve’s face hardened.

”You don’t know anything about him.”

”I know everything.”

The boy took another step.

”I remember the first thought.”

Another step.

”The first dream.”

Another.

”The first fear.”

Another.

”The first time he cried.”

He stopped.

”And I remember the first time he wanted someone to stay.”

Eden’s heart began beating faster.

The boy pointed at him.

”That was me.”

Eden shook his head.

”No.”

”Yes.”

”You’re lying.”

The boy’s expression softened.

”I wish I were.”

The hospital hallway changed.

The walls faded.

The floor disappeared.

Suddenly Eden was standing somewhere else.

A small bedroom.

A child sat on the floor.

Six-year-old Eden.

The same child he’d seen in the white room.

Except this time he wasn’t alone.

A shadow sat beside him.

The shadow had no face.

No body.

It simply existed.

Eden watched his younger self draw something on a piece of paper.

A house.

A tree.

Four children.

Then a fifth.

Then a sixth.

The shadow pointed toward the sixth child.

Young Eden shook his head.

”No.”

The shadow pointed again.

Young Eden began crying.

”I don’t want him.”

The shadow moved closer.

Young Eden whispered:

”Go away.”

The shadow touched his shoulder.

The memory shattered.

Eden found himself back in the hospital.

His breathing was uneven.

”What was that?”

The boy answered.

”Your first memory.”

Eden looked at him.

”No.”

”Yes.”

”I remember that room.”

The boy smiled.

”Of course you do.”

”Then why don’t I remember you?”

The boy’s smile disappeared.

”Because you weren’t allowed to.”

Eve stepped forward.

”Enough.”

The boy looked at her.

”Why?”

”Because he’s not ready.”

The boy laughed.

”He’s six.”

Eve’s expression changed.

The boy continued.

”He’s exactly as old as he was when you started lying to him.”

Eden looked at Eve.

”You lied to me?”

Eve didn’t answer.

”Eve.”

She looked at him.

”Yes.”

”What did you lie about?”

She swallowed.

”Everything.”

Eden felt something inside him break.

”Why?”

”Because I was trying to keep you alive.”

The boy interrupted.

”No.”

Eve glared at him.

”You don’t understand.”

”I understand perfectly.”

He pointed toward Eden.

”You didn’t keep him alive.”

”You kept him asleep.”

Eden stared at Eve.

”What does that mean?”

Eve looked at the floor.

”You weren’t supposed to remember.”

”Remember what?”

She didn’t answer.

Mira finally spoke.

”The first death.”

Eden looked at her.

”Whose?”

Mira’s voice cracked.

”Yours.”

Nobody moved.

The boy stopped smiling.

Even he seemed to hesitate.

Eden stared at Mira.

”I died?”

She nodded.

”Before all of this.”

”When?”

”When you were six.”

Eden looked around the hospital room.

He was six.

His mother was crying.

The heart monitor was beeping.

Everything suddenly felt wrong.

”Then what am I?”

Mira looked at him.

”You’re the memory of the boy who died.”

Eden’s stomach dropped.

Luna immediately grabbed his hand.

”No.”

Everyone looked at her.

She shook her head.

”He’s here.”

Mira looked at her.

”I know.”

”He’s breathing.”

”I know.”

”His heart is beating.”

”I know.”

”Then he’s alive.”

Mira’s eyes filled with tears.

”Yes.”

Eden looked at her.

”Then why did I die?”

Nobody answered.

The boy did.

”Because I killed you.”

Eden looked at him.

The boy’s expression was empty now.

”I was the first thing you created.”

Eden stared.

”You?”

The boy nodded.

”I was your fear.”

Eden remembered the shadow.

The faceless thing beside the child.

The thing he had begged to leave.

”You became real.”

”Yes.”

”Why?”

”Because you believed I was.”

Eden looked at the boy.

”What did you do?”

The boy lowered his head.

”I showed you what happens when everyone leaves.”

A memory slammed into Eden.

Mira disappearing.

Luna crying.

Adrian gone.

Finn gone.

His mother walking away.

The house empty.

The tree dead.

Eden alone.

Then the darkness.

Then nothing.

He staggered.

Luna caught him.

”Eden.”

He pressed a hand against his chest.

His heart was beating too quickly.

”I remember.”

The boy looked at him.

”You remember now.”

Eden looked up.

”You killed me.”

”Yes.”

”Why?”

”Because you wanted me gone.”

The boy’s eyes filled with tears.

”And I thought the only way to leave was to take you with me.”

Eden stared at him.

For the first time, he didn’t see a monster.

He saw a frightened child.

A child who had been created from fear.

A child who didn’t know how to disappear.

Eden slowly stepped toward him.

Eve immediately grabbed his arm.

”Don’t.”

Eden looked at her.

”Why?”

”Because if you touch him...”

”What?”

”You’ll remember everything.”

Eden looked at the boy.

”Maybe I should.”

”No.”

”Why?”

Eve’s eyes were full of fear.

”Because then you won’t be Eden anymore.”

Eden frowned.

”Who will I become?”

Eve whispered:

”The first boy.”

The hospital vanished.

Everything vanished.

Eden found himself standing inside the white room again.

But this time the room wasn’t empty.

Hundreds of versions of himself stood around him.

Kai.

Cael.

Adrian.

Finn.

The Reader.

The other Eden.

Children.

Adults.

Monsters.

Kings.

Beggers.

Heroes.

Villains.

Every possibility he’d ever been.

Every one of them was staring at him.

At the center of the room stood the little boy.

The First Eden.

The boy looked at all of them.

Then he looked at the current Eden.

”You wanted to know who you are.”

Eden swallowed.

”Yes.”

The boy smiled.

”Then look.”

All the versions stepped forward.

One by one, they disappeared into Eden.

A thousand memories flooded through him.

A thousand lives.

A thousand endings.

Eden screamed.

Luna tried to reach him.

Eve held her back.

”Don’t!”

”He’s hurting!”

”I know!”

”Then help him!”

”I can’t!”

Mira stepped forward.

”Eve.”

Eve shook her head.

”If she touches him, she’ll disappear too.”

Luna froze.

”What?”

Eve looked at her.

”This is the choice.”

”What choice?”

”The first choice.”

Eden’s scream suddenly stopped.

The white room became silent.

He opened his eyes.

They were completely black.

Not dark.

Not shadowed.

Black.

Every version of him had disappeared.

Only Eden remained.

The First Eden stood before him.

”You remember now.”

Eden looked at his hands.

”I remember everything.”

The boy smiled.

”Then you know what you have to do.”

Eden looked at him.

”What?”

The boy pointed toward Luna.

”Forget her.”

Luna’s face went white.

Eden stared at her.

The boy continued.

”Forget Mira.”

Mira stepped forward.

”Eden...”

”Forget Adrian.”

Adrian clenched his fists.

”Don’t.”

”Forget Finn.”

Finn looked down.

”Please.”

The boy’s voice became softer.

”Forget all of them.”

Eden stared at the people standing around him.

Then he looked at the boy.

”Why?”

”Because if you remember everything...”

The boy smiled.

”...you’ll finally understand that none of them are yours.”

Eden was silent.

Then he laughed.

Quietly.

The boy frowned.

”What?”

Eden looked at Luna.

She was crying.

Mira was crying.

Adrian was trying not to.

Finn had already failed.

Eden looked at all of them.

Then he looked back at the First Eden.

”You’re wrong.”

The boy stared.

”They aren’t mine.”

Eden smiled.

”I chose them.”

The boy’s face changed.

”And that’s different.”

Eden stepped forward.

”I don’t care if they’re characters.”

”I don’t care if they’re memories.”

”I don’t care if they’re pieces of me.”

”I don’t care if they existed before I did.”

He looked at Luna.

”They’re here.”

Then he looked at Mira.

”They remember me.”

Adrian.

”They stand beside me.”

Finn.

”They annoy me.”

Finn raised an eyebrow.

”That’s your big emotional statement?”

Eden laughed.

”Yeah.”

Then he looked at the First Eden.

”And that’s enough.”

The boy’s eyes filled with tears.

”You’ll regret it.”

”Maybe.”

”You’ll lose them.”

”Probably.”

”You’ll die.”

”Eventually.”

”You’ll be alone.”

Eden smiled.

”Maybe.”

He stepped closer.

”But if I have to choose between living forever alone...”

He reached out his hand.

”...or living one short life with them...”

His fingers touched the First Eden’s shoulder.

”...I’ll take the short life.”

The First Eden smiled.

For the first time, he looked peaceful.

”Then you’ve finally grown up.”

His body began dissolving.

Eden caught him.

”Wait.”

The boy looked up.

”One last thing.”

”What?”

The boy whispered:

”I was never the Forgotten.”

Eden froze.

”Then what are you?”

The boy smiled.

”The part of you that remembered why you were born.”

He disappeared.

The white room cracked.

Eden fell.

Luna screamed.

The world shattered around them.

And when Eden opened his eyes...

He was back in the hospital bed.

His mother was holding his hand.

The heart monitor beeped steadily.

Mira stood beside the window.

Adrian and Finn were nowhere to be seen.

Luna was gone.

Eve was gone.

Eden’s mother looked at him with tears in her eyes.

”You’re awake.”

Eden stared at her.

”Mom?”

She smiled.

”Yes.”

He squeezed her hand.

”Where’s Luna?”

His mother froze.

Eden noticed.

”Mom?”

She slowly looked toward the doorway.

A nurse stood there.

She was holding a clipboard.

She stared at Eden.

Then at his mother.

Then back at Eden.

”Who is Luna?”

Eden’s heart stopped.

His mother whispered:

”Eden...”

The nurse looked confused.

”There is no Luna listed anywhere.”

Eden slowly sat up.

”No.”

The nurse stepped backward.

”There is no Mira either.”

Eden’s blood went cold.

His mother stared at him.

”Who are Adrian and Finn?”

Eden looked toward the window.

Mira was gone.

The room was empty.

The heart monitor began beeping faster.

Eden whispered:

”No.”

The nurse reached for the door.

Then stopped.

Someone was standing in the hallway.

A little girl.

Long black hair.

Pitch-black eyes.

She smiled at Eden.

Luna.

But she wasn’t looking at him.

She was looking at the nurse.

And she whispered:

”Now nobody remembers them.”

Then she walked away.

Eden threw the blanket aside and ran after her.

The hallway was empty.

Except for one message written across the wall in black ink.

YOU CHOSE A LIFE.

Beneath it, another sentence appeared.

NOW PAY FOR IT.