Only I Am A Reader-Chapter 571: Kara’s Darkest Hour

"Despite being the biggest factor behind my deepening despair, I never blamed them, not even once." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

'Admirable.'

Self-praise was never the intention of Kara's speech, rather, she was trying to prove her parents' innocence. However, Leo found that to be extremely praiseworthy.

Blaming parents was the second-most convenient excuse that people hanged their faults around, only preceded by blaming the circumstances.

"Unfortunately, I could never do them any good. Being a child prodigy might come with exorbitant support, but it also meant I couldn't decide much. By the time I formed my own opinion, it was already too late."

Once again, the mentioned scenario wasn't hard to imagine for Leo. After all, child prodigies mostly thrived in wealthy households.

In a struggling family, the whole family either had to work all day to support said prodigies, or they simply had to blend in and accept mediocrity, letting their talent die out.

'Ironically, the latter situation often leads to a better ending.'

Stopping without knowing the heights they could achieve was sometimes a blessing, especially if the odds of reaching that target were lower than one percent.

At the very least, it was much better than losing everything only to fall short of that expectation.

"Whether it was becoming the special person they hoped me to become or just returning to our life before that dreadful night, I was okay with either, but both directions were no longer an option."

Even then, unless it was a dysfunctional family with unfit parents, most would choose what they believed to be the best for their children, especially young prodigies, and in most cases…

"With the former proving impossible due to my ability's dormancy, the latter would have been our only escape. I still believed so, until not too long ago. Unfortunately, my parents didn't even consider that possibility."

Not many parents would dare to deny their children the possibility of making the 'leap'.

Even if they had to compromise their own lives, they would go to any end if it meant giving their child a fair chance at realizing their full potential.

"Traveling everywhere to do more tests, meeting researchers from all around the city so they could help me truly awaken, even going as far as purchasing an unattainable Enigma Stone…"

As long as their feet could still move, they wouldn't shy away from taking any step that provided the faintest bit of hope.

"Although the fact that I was a 'legendary' natural awakener made it easier to approach the right people, my father and my mother were the true legends who somehow managed so many implausible achievements, but it came at the cost of their lives."

'Here it comes.'

"Just when I finally gathered the determination to say 'no', to go back to how things were, my father collapsed from overwork before submitting to death within the same week."

Leo wasn't surprised. After all, this was usually how 'special' business worked. Even if you were offering a unique prospect, accessibility was likely to be the extent of what one could get.

One might be able to meet great names or be granted the possibility of buying an unbuyable item like the Enigma Stone. Still, unless they managed to obtain a proper sponsorship contract, the expenses they would have to bear would be astronomical.

'In Kara's case, it would only get worse as more time went by.'

Normally, while the investment would be painful to procure, everything would pay off once the final product came to fruition, but for someone like Kara, who produced no result over the years…

'A dark pit of despair.'

Her lack of advancement was almost another unique aspect of Kara. However, save for some research fanatics who usually lacked the resources to support their work, nobody would spend their funds to study a singular case of measurement failure.

"As much as I was overcome by grief back then, I truly hoped that my mother would learn her lesson and give up on me, but that only fueled her desire to contribute even more."

'Classic Sunk Cost Fallacy.'

Leo didn't have to listen to Kara's words to know what happened next. It was one thing to drop a matter early on after stumbling a few times, but giving up after dedicating their life to this project?

"In her own words, she said, 'Leave things be? Mom can't do that. I have to help the world realize your true worth. Otherwise, what would be there for my lovely child if I suddenly pass away like your dad?'..."

It was simply impossible!

"Needless to say, my mother didn't last long either. Ironically enough, it was only then that I was able to stop chasing that castle in the cloud, but the life that I sought by doing that was no longer possible."

Rather than their support, what Kara desired was her parents' presence, a family. Something that she could never achieve now that she was on her own.

"At that point, I wasn't even sure if my life was still worth living, but knowing that my parents would give their lives again for mine, I couldn't just throw away something they considered that precious."

'That's great mental fortitude.'

Just like Cassian once did, Kara was able to press forward despite experiencing a dose of compound grief.

Although she didn't move towards a new goal like he did to channel his determination, just that much was worthy of an award.

'After all, Cassian did fall into a rut once he achieved that goal.'

The difference between the two was that one of them had something to take his sadness and anger out on. On the other hand, whatever Kara did, she couldn't bring her parents back, nor could she realize their dream of becoming a self-sufficient Ability User.

"With the debts they left behind, it wasn't easy to keep up the minimal standard of life that my parents would accept for me, but I kept on living somehow. However, as days went by, I wasn't sure how far I could keep on going."

Understanding that Kara's life story had reached its darkest hour, Leo couldn't help getting a bit excited as he realized that her major turning point was right around the corner.