Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine

Raphael's POV

Merlin Hospital

I leaned on the desk, rubbing the bridge of my nose, thoughts swirling endlessly about everything that had happened today.

My temples throbbed with the strain of trying to understand where I had gone wrong.

Did I… overstep my boundary?

The question echoed in my head.

But… I really wanted him to stay on the correct path.

He's still so fragile, still so lost, and yet I pushed him harder than I should have.

I know he lost his memories and all, but…

"Arhh," I groaned, burying my face in my palm. "Maybe I should have talked to him instead of shouting," I muttered with a slightly guilty tone.

But still… how dare he sneak out of the class like nothing?

Acting as if rules didn't matter, as if my words had no weight at all.

If my brother sees this, he would be so angry at me for not disciplining his child.

He trusted me with this responsibility. He believed I could guide him, protect him. Yet I feel like I'm failing him at every turn.

As I nudged my forehead, trying to steady myself, the sound of the door creaking open drew my attention. I looked up and saw… it was my best friend and colleague.

"Hmm… what happened to you? Not so focused on the job today?" she asked with a slightly curious tone as she stepped closer.

I sighed heavily. She already knew most of my private life, the tangled knots of family obligations and buried worries, so I told her the truth.

I explained everything that had happened. When I finished, she blinked at me in surprise, her lips curving into a teasing expression that only made my frown deepen.

"What?" I frowned, irritation and confusion mingling together.

"It's just… even Raphael can get angry?" she muttered softly, as if she had never once imagined seeing me lose my composure.

My lips twitched before I shook my head. She slid into the chair across from me, leaning back comfortably.

"I cannot offer any advice," she admitted after a moment, "After all, I've never had children before. But if there's one thing I do understand, it's this… You should have controlled yourself."

"Control myself?" I repeated.

What the hell was she talking about?

"I controlled myself very well… it's him who angered me with his words, like… I meant nothing to him!!" I snapped, the memory of his sharp eyes and careless words making my blood boil again.

She only smiled weakly, shaking her head, "You see… he is a teenage boy, Raphael. He's in that phase where recklessness comes as naturally as breathing. That's how they are. No matter how much you try to control them, they'll act according to their own will. And when it comes to parents, guardians… people like us… all we can really do is guide them, remind them of the consequences of their actions, and hope they learn."

Her words seemed reasonable, yet difficult to swallow.

I still didn't accept them.

"Even so… cutting classes and not sleeping at night… even lying to me… how dare he keep doing that?" I said through clenched teeth.

She studied me silently for a few seconds, "He is just scared, Raphael," she said with a small, knowing smile, her tone gentle enough to pierce through my stubbornness.

"Scared of me?" I frowned with disbelief.

But she shook her head, "Not you… but himself. Didn't you say he lost his memories?

He is just scared of himself, Raphael. You need to understand that… He is a new person, and what do you think? That he could just accept it all so easily? Of course it's going to bother him."

My eyes fluttered in slight confusion. "What do you mean? He was doing perfectly fine until recently…" I shook my head.

She smiled gently as she said,

"That's because everything was new to him, Raphael.

New surroundings, new people, new knowledge… all that information kept him busy.

However, once the hype of everything new settled down… he started to think about himself. That's usual.

It always comes sooner or later."

Her words lingered few seconds before she added with a calm certainty,

"It's just Post-Amnesia Syndrome. Confusion, identity anxiety… all of it has started to hit him. Think about this carefully… have you been spending time with him recently?

Or doing anything new with him at all?"

I blinked, her words striking deeper than I wanted to admit.

Kind of… making sense. I nudged my glasses up the bridge of my nose, eyes drifting to her calm expression. She smiled faintly, almost as if she understood more than she was saying.

She continued, "See? You're busy with your work—"

Before I could even open my mouth to protest, she interjected smoothly, "Of course I am not blaming you… We're all stuck in our work. That's just how it is. Adults have no choice but to live like that. But children don't understand that easily." She sighed deeply, her gaze returned to me,

"Cutting classes, roaming around… he's just trying to keep his thoughts distracted. And not sleeping? Because at night, you know how our minds work, right?"

"… Yeah." That was all I could say.

Here I was, blaming him over and over, but now… suddenly, everything made sense.

I hadn't thought of this at all. My lips trembled as guilt, "He must be lonely?"

She only shrugged gently, "You say you are his aunt… but for him?

You're just a stranger who got closer to him than others, that's all.

Has he ever called you 'aunt' since his memory loss?"

I frowned, the question hitting me like a dagger. Come to think of it… Yeah, he never once called me aunt, right?

She didn't need to hear my answer. She nodded knowingly, "See… that's who he is now. A stranger thrown into a new world he doesn't understand."

I clenched my fist tightly as realisation dawned with painful clarity.

Now… now I understand why he said those words to me.

In a way… he was an orphan.

He was... Lonely.

Just the thought made my skin crawl in horror. Just how much was he going through all alone?

How many nights had he wrestled with fear and confusion while I simply scolded him?

I should have talked to him instead of shouting at him… oh, my poor Leo.

My shoulders trembled as I lowered my eyes. I lost my cool there... I should have acted like an adult.

Shit... arrhh!!

My friend quietly stood from her chair as she walked toward me. Her voice broke the silence gently, "Shall we leave then?"

I flinched, lifting my head to look at her in surprise. "But my duty—"

"Oh, fuck that," she muttered, her expression shifting into annoyance as if duty meant nothing compared to what she had just made me realise.

Oh shit…

Here it comes… the nasty side of my friend.

"Those fucking assholes keep dragging bodies in here and making us suffer… the fuck does he even want? We have families, you bastard! One day, I swear, I'm going to shove a stethoscope straight into his asshole!" she groaned with a furious expression, slamming her hand against the chair arm as if it were the culprit.

There were a hundred things I wanted to say back to her, but… I knew better. If I so much as opened my mouth, I'd be caught up in that wave of foul-mouthed rage.

When you have a friend who spits fire like this, it's always better to shut your mouth and ride out the storm.

Still…

"I am not sure," I muttered quietly, my eyes drifting to the clock. Only one o'clock past midnight.

She turned her head and stared at me… like, seriously?

Oh shit… now she was annoyed.

"Fuck the hell, bitch! You're the fucking chairperson here—"

"Temporary," I added quickly, correcting her under my breath.

Big mistake... It only pissed her off more!

I hurriedly covered my ears.

"Temporary? Shove it in your ass, bitch!! The fuck is a temporary chairperson? Shut the fuck up and let's leave this damn place already! I haven't had a drink in three fucking days… you know what that does to me, asshole!!" Her voice thundered through the office like a storm.

And then… as suddenly as it came, it was gone.

All that fury, all those nasty words burned out of her in an instant, leaving behind her usual smile—sweet and Warm.

Damn, don't fall for it!!

She clasped her hands together like a saint as she cooed, "Let's go~ Sweetheart."

My lips twitched helplessly... This woman!

It was always strange, the way we ended up as friends.

No matter how anyone looked at us… they would never believe it. Honestly, I don't even understand why I still stay friends with her. Maybe because, beneath all that profanity and fire, she's one of the few people who actually understands me.

Anyway… I glanced back at the clock. Nothing urgent had come in yet. No emergencies screaming for my hands, no alarms ringing in the wards. And if anything did happen, the others would handle it.

They were capable.

Most of all, I couldn't drag this any longer. I needed to talk with Leo in the morning. If I delayed it, if I left him in that loneliness even a moment longer… I didn't know what cracks it might leave in him.

I nodded at my friend. She smirked in triumph, her face lighting up with a look of absolute victory.

"Let's go in my car," she said.

I nodded again. After packing up my things and warning the other doctors and staff not to slack off just because I wouldn't be around... reminding them to stay sharp and handle anything that came up—I finally let her drag me away.

She strolled out first, heading to the car parking area, while I stood by the hospital entrance, the cool night air brushing against my face.

Wrroommm~

A stylish car roared to life and zoomed before me, headlights slicing through the shadows before screeching to a halt. She leaned out of the window with a mischievous grin, and I walked to the side and slipped into the front seat.

Looking at her, who was smirking as if she were deliberately trying to piss me off with her brand-new car she had just bought.

"It's nice," I muttered.

Sometimes I really wondered how we managed to understand each other without even needing to say much at all.

She grinned, "Of course it is."

And… here it comes again.

"Unlike your ugly-ass car… the fuck are you even doing driving that thing! Ms. Raphael… you are the Chairperson—"

"Temporary," I cut in immediately.

"Fuck that… whatever. You earn more than us, and yet you come rolling into the hospital with that shitty-ass car… do you even know how many people felt embarrassed seeing their Chairperson pull up in that wreck?" she said in an annoyed tone, pressing the pedal harder as the car smoothly roared onto the road.

I shook my head, "As I said before… It's my favourite one, and it's kind of sentimental to me. I cannot abandon it just because I earn so much."

She just snorted. "Always the same dialogue," she muttered, eyes locked on the road. Then, with a mischievous laugh, she added, "I wonder what Leo thinks about your car… haha…"

My lips twitched, but I forced myself to shut my mouth and stay silent.

No need to give her more fuel.

Just then, my brow furrowed as I noticed her turning down a completely different road.

"Where are you going?" I asked sharply.

She glanced at me with a small smirk. "Where else?" she replied, tilting her hand in a drinking motion.

I groaned, dragging my palm down my face. "The stores are freaking closed, you idiot… didn't you remember the news? The police warned everyone already."

She just smirked wider, "That's only for scared bitches. I know a few people who'd die to do anything!"

For a split second, I really wanted to punch her right in that smug face.