Chapter 2: The path to himself

The weeks that followed were not easy. JJ still wrestled with himself. Some days, he woke up heavy with anger; other days, the memories of initiation would haunt him until his chest felt like it was caving in. But now, he was not facing it alone.

Light became his anchor. She listened when he spoke, and when he couldn’t, she held his silence without judgment. Slowly, JJ realized that love was not about pretending to be strong all the time. With Light, he could be vulnerable, and she would not see weakness—only truth.

One Sunday afternoon, JJ’s uncle found him sitting under the old fig tree. Without a word, the old man joined him, just like before. JJ hesitated, then spoke:

“Uncle… at initiation, they told us a man must never cry. That we must keep everything inside. But it’s killing me.”

His uncle sighed deeply, his weathered eyes soft. “JJ, they taught you silence, yes. But silence is not strength—it is a prison. A true man knows when to fight, and when to lay his burden down. You cannot heal what you hide.”

For the first time, JJ allowed himself to believe those words. He realized he could respect his culture while also choosing to heal differently.

That evening, JJ walked Light home. They paused under the dim streetlight, and he took her hands in his. His voice was steady, though his heart trembled.

“Light, I can’t promise I’ll never be angry again. But I promise I’ll never hide from you again. If I’m hurting, I’ll tell you. If I’m lost, I’ll let you find me.”

Light smiled, her eyes shimmering. “JJ… you don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be real. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

For the first time since returning, JJ laughed—not the short, forced laugh, but the full, honest laugh that belonged to him. It echoed into the night, breaking the chains of silence that had bound him.

And though the scars of initiation remained, JJ was no longer defined by them. With Light by his side, and his own courage to face the shadows, he was learning that healing was not forgetting—it was choosing to live despite the pain.

JJ had gone away a boy and returned broken. But now, step by step, he was becoming a man in the truest sense: not because of rituals, but because he had found the strength to face himself.