🔹19 - Hidden Truths🔹

                                    

                                          
Frowning, the lightning element turned to look at the famed alchemist, the latter looking back at him too. 

                          
"Besides, it's my fault anyway for breaking my friend's promise." Solar stated, sighing through his nose. "So much for being an egoistic friend..."

                          
For the first time in nine years, Solar didn't blame Halilintar on anything but himself, for unconsciously committing a mistake of forgetting and breaking his best friend's promise, making his and Duri's friendship tore apart. 

                          
Truth be told, Halilintar did felt guilty about the incident the other day. He was too distracted as rage took control of him. He didn't even realized that Solar made a promise to Duri to not get into fights for just that very day. And because of him, it ruined their friendship, same goes for him about Taufan losing his trust on him that same day. 

                          
"To be honest, I feel so insensitive as well..." The lightning element finally spoke, his scarlet eyes staring at the ground hopelessly. "Sometimes, I didn't care about my friend's feelings. I was too selfish, oblivious around him. And for once, I never asked him if he's doing alright at all." He added. 

                          
The light element hummed. "Well, sometimes it's hard to be open up with someone, especially to someone you're close with." He calmly said, making the red-eyed teenage boy slightly nodded in agreement. 

                          
Afterwards, another silence filled the room, peacefully pausing the two from talking with one another for a short moment. Not for long, Solar spoke again as he broke the akward silence between them. 

                          
"Heh, I don't know why people always think that these gloves I'm wearing right now, are used when I'm about to do some experiments at school." He said, heaving a sigh afterwards. "But, they're wrong."

                          
Confused, the lightning element turned to face his rival, then at the white gloves he's wearing. "But, it's true, right?" He simply asked, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. 


                          
"Indeed..."


                          
Solar hesitantly removed his gloves from his hands, exposing the back of his hands which revealed old scars and bruises. As the lightning elemental saw it, his rubescent eyes widened in shock, horrified by what he'd just witnessed.


                          
"...but the truth is, because of these..."


                          
Halilintar shook his head in disbelief, his face clearly still shocked. "D-Does Duri know...?"

                          
"No. I can't tell him about this. I don't want him to worry about me. Even though he always ask why I'm wearing these but, I kept lying to him that I wore it for experimental purposes." The light elemental alchemist said, pursing his lips. "I kept hiding these pains created by my parents as they kept forcing me on something I don't want to be, nor I don't want to do..." He added, gritting his teeth tightly as he tried holding back his tears which they're about to shed any second. 


                          
"And, I never told anyone about it. I'm afraid they'll accuse my parents for it and send them to jail. I don't want that to happen, and also, I don't want to be stuck in an orphanage..."


                          
"How long they've been doing this to you...?" The electrical element asked. 


                          
"...Since when I was little, when my parents saw that I can already do some things in my early age. And ever since then, they became stricter and stricter towards me as time goes by. Up until now... but worst." He stated, his hands trembling both in fear and anger. "They wanted me to become the 'perfect' son for them. But, they're just playing and controlling with my life right now that it's hard for me to even pursue with my own life, and what I really wanted in life. No one's perfect, but here they are, forcing me to become one."