As soon as his father's exact same dismissive words Kahn just spoke now resounded, the young him aka Elric had a frightened and sullen expression. On the other side, Robert's apathetic gaze landed on Elric, full of contempt and conceit. The young and naive Elric couldn't understand why his father was furious towards him at the moment instead of quickly getting angered at the kids from his class who bullied him. "This bastard… still blaming everything on me." spoke Kahn with an exasperated tone. The young him back then had no idea why his own father treated him so heartlessly but the older and wiser him had figured out the truth long ago. Robert Johnson was always stressed due to work and was actually a very petty man. Office life was hard for him despite his position and he also had anger issues. On top of it, he had 3 children. Given the fact they lived in a country that was also called the mother of ruthless taxes and overpriced economy aka the United States of America… They were already struggling monetarily. With his good-for-nothing wife who paid more attention to pretenses, he was the one to shoulder all the responsibility and worked hard to the bone. But at least, he was proud of his son and daughter because in his opinion, they had a promising future and would make big in life. As for Elric… he was the unplanned child that was not only born frail and a coward but also couldn't show any prospects. And given his personality… he eventually started redirecting all the stress and anger on his youngest son, blaming him for all the misfortunes that befell him and the family. This was the reason why Kahn had zero respect for his own family as he grew up. Instead of understanding the fact that their youngest son was different compared to their first two children and raising him with a different approach… both his parents either showed him neglect or labeled him as the root cause of their problems. Many times, Elric even felt like he was never their family to begin with. "I know I was the unwanted child but this is too much. How was it my fault that you guys were suffering in the outside world or had shitty ways to deal with life?" said Kahn in a tone filled with discontent. "It's a parent's job to shelter and protect their children while upbringing them to be a better person. Why are you letting out your frustration on me instead? Why did you bring me into this world if you couldn't afford to raise a 3rd child?!" cursed Kahn loudly as he almost wanted to take a swing at his own father. And just like the last time… the meek and distraught Elric silently went into his room, feeling terrible in every possible way. ---------------- At midnight, Elric sneaked on top of the house and used the attic's window to get on the roof. The moon in the sky shone brightly, giving a sense of serenity to the atmosphere. But for Elric, it was as melancholic as it could be. Kahn also phased through things and hovered in the air behind the sobbing Elric who could do nothing but whimper in sorrow. "These people have scarred me since childhood. If I had better and caring parents, maybe I would've grown up to be a different and confident man." he Kahn in an incredulous tone. A gust of wind followed and a cold breeze hit the young Elric as he spoke suddenly. "You there, mister. Who are you?" Shocked! Kahn was shocked on the spot as Elric spoke to him for the first time. "You… You can see me?" he asked in a bewildered voice. "I can. I could see you after they were done beating me this morning. Are you a ghost?" asked Elric as he settled his uneven glasses. To his response, Kahn sighed in relief. Because so far, he felt like there was nothing he could do but relive these old memories while spectating everything happening again without being able to meddle in. "Would you believe me if I said I'm you from the future?" replied Kahn with a slight smile. "Liar! Your hair and eyes are black. Mine is brown and blue. How can you be me from the future?" rebuked the young Kahn aka Elric. "Well, I kind of skipped the part to mention that I'm you from the future but also a different world." he responded honestly while folding his hands behind his back. "Liar! You're just an imagination. I know they call it a hallucination or something if you hit your head hard. It will just go away." said Elric and looked away. "Ah… I'm both smart and stupid for my age at the same time." spoke Kahn in helplessness. But now, he was at least happy to see that he could communicate with the young him in this world from his memories. "Listen… I know it's confusing but I'm not lying. I'm indeed you from the future. And I know what's going to happen. So if you listen to me… I'm going to help you get rid of those punks so they won't bully you." he declared confidently. However, his words fell on deaf ears. "As if I would believe a ghost. You're not even real, just a figment of my imagination." spoke Elric, rejecting his proposal. "This little shit! He has no respect for the future him." said Kahn as he wanted to slap the younger him. Still, he told Elric about what was about to happen next week. "I'm serious. Your mom and dad aren't going to help you. They never have and never will. It's always going to be you on your own even in the future. So let me help you and at least, you won't be so miserable like I was." he spoke in a serious tone. Nonetheless… the young brat named Elric paid no heed to this warning. ---------------- The Next Week. Gurgle! Gurgle! "Pfffwaaahh!" Elric groaned as his head was pulled out of a water drum by his bullies. Despite Kahn's warning, he kept believing that his mom would come through and protect him by meeting the school's principal. But nothing happened and again, he was suffering from his stupid notions as the bullies beat him again. Kahn wanted to punch the fuck out of those kids but he couldn't do anything. And the peculiar fact here was that when Elric was suffering while drowning, he was too. But he couldn't touch anything or intervene. And after the beating was over and Elric returned home… he berated the dumbass him of the past who just couldn't muster the courage to stand up for himself. "What could I do? If I fight back… then they will hit me and I will be hurt again more painfully. If I just keep enduring it, they will get bored and stop bullying me." spoke Elric as his figure was lying on his bed. "Yes, they eventually will give up on bullying you. But the long-term repercussions are going to be more severe than just physical wounds." spoke Kahn as he reminisced how greatly these incidents during his childhood impacted his mind and personality in the upcoming years. He looked at Elric's sorry state and then at himself as a revelation hit his mind. "I understand now." he said in a determined voice. "The purpose of this trial isn't about the current me helping the young me." his gaze then landed on Elric whose eyes were full of self-doubt and dejection. "It's about the old me choosing to help himself."