Ever since I was born, my parents bound me to a Pain Transfer System. My body was covered in scars.

My older brother, Dylan Jeater, had albinism and Hydroa Vacciniforme. His condition was so severe that he could not be exposed to any light. Doctors determined that he would only live to be sixteen years old.

However, Dylan had always been playful. He often snuck outside. Eventually, his body was covered in sores.

My father, Robert Jeater, worked day and night to earn money. He finally bought two Pain Transfer System wristbands at a high price for Dylan and me.

For six years, the pain Dylan felt from every sun exposure had been transferred to me.

My mother, May Jeater, always held me gently and treated my wounds.

She said, “Chester, I’m sorry. I just want Dylan to be happy in the time he has left. I hope you understand.”

On New Year’s Eve, my parents took Dylan out. It was very sunny that day.

As soon as we left the house, my whole body broke out in blisters. I could not help but cry out in pain.

Dylan tore off his wristband and broke down sobbing.

“Does it hurt? Fine, if you think it hurts so much, then turn off the transfer! Let me just die of the pain!

“I’ll only live up to sixteen anyway. I’m going to die sooner or later.”

His body became severely sunburned, and he lost consciousness.

Mom shoved me to the ground.

“Dylan never complained once in all those years of pain! After only six years of it being passed to you, you’re already breaking down?!

“He’s only going to live to be sixteen! Is it wrong to want him to be happy in his last few years?”

Dad picked up Dylan.

“I don’t want you getting hurt either, but the pain can only be transferred between biological brothers.”

They then rushed him to the hospital.

I picked up the wristband from the ground. A message popped up on the screen.

[Do you want to transfer your remaining lifespan to the linked user?]

Without any hesitation, I pressed confirm.

I stood outside the door for two hours.

Blisters burst and formed on my body continuously until they stuck to my clothes. Every breath I took hurt.

My parents finally came back.

My older brother, Dylan Jeater, was bandaged tightly. My father, Robert Jeater, carefully carried him to bed.

My mother, May Jeater, walked straight up to me and slapped me hard across the face. It stung.

“Are you happy now?!

“The doctor said Dylan’s condition just took a turn for the worse. He might not even make it to sixteen now!”

My ears rang, and my face swelled up.

I was stunned. I instinctively wanted to say that this was not true. Dylan was going to live to be a hundred. I had given my life to him!

Before I could say anything, Dylan struggled to sit up.

He grabbed the family photo from the bedside table and tore away the half with his image on it.

“Are you happy now?” he said hoarsely. Tears streamed down his face and mixed with the ointment.

“Great! Once I’m dead, you’ll be Mom and Dad’s only son. Then, they’ll just indulge you forever, won’t they?!”

“No, Dylan, that’s not what I meant…”

I tried to get closer to him to hand him the wristband. “Dylan, please put it on. I’m sorry… I’m not afraid of the pain anymore…”

“Don’t come near me!”

He grabbed the torn photo and threw it at me. “I hate you! I hate all of you! Why did it have to be me with this disease?! Why me?!”

Mom held him tightly. Her voice broke as she tried to comfort him.

“It’s okay, sweetie. I’m right here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you…”

Dad took the wristband. He wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Ches, go stay at Mrs. Lance’s place for a while. Dylan is emotionally unstable right now. You need to leave.”

He left no room for argument.

Lily Lance was my neighbor.

I knocked on her door like I had done many times before. I had lost count of how many times I had done this.

The first time it had happened, my parents learned that an expert had come from the capital, so they took Dylan there overnight.

After school, I waited by the door until dark. I caught a high fever from the cold. In the end, Lily found me. That was how I had narrowly survived.

The last time I went to her place was when my kindergarten had a parent-teacher meeting. I told my parents that they did not need to go, and I could handle it myself.

Dylan broke down crying. “Are you trying to rub it in just because I can’t go to school?”

After that, I ended up knocking on Lily’s door again.

The door opened. Lily looked at me and sighed. Then, she took me inside. “Joy, bring the medical kit!”

Joy was Lily’s daughter. When she came out of her room and saw me, her eyes widened.

“Ches? Why are you here? Did they kick you out again?!”

She clenched her fist. “How can your parents do that? They only care about Dylan! That’s so unfair!”

I retorted, “No, it’s not! Dylan’s sick! We all have to take care of him. Besides…”

I pulled up my dirty sleeve to reveal the layered scars of burst blisters.

“See? Dylan’s injuries get transferred to me. Mom personally treats every single one for me!

“She’s not being unfair at all! It doesn’t matter if I’m in a little pain as long as Dylan’s happy. That’s all that counts!”

Joy looked at my wounds and shook her head.

Lily came over with the medicine. Her hands were warm and gentle. They were similar to Mom’s hands, yet were a little different.

Mom’s hands were also warm, but they always felt hurried.

After a long time, Dad finally came to take me home.

He gestured for me to go back to my room.

My room was a small storage space with no heating. This was the only room left for me because Dylan’s treatment supplies took up the entire house.

All the money has been spent on his treatment. Only his room had the heat turned on.

I curled up on my small bed. The warmth I had felt from Lily’s touch quickly faded away.

I could hear Mom’s tearful voice from Dylan’s room.

“Dylan, be good and take your medicine. You’ll feel better once you do.

“You’re my precious baby. I’ll make sure you live, even if I have to give you my life.”

Then, I heard Dad chime in, “That’s right, Dylan. Don’t be scared. We’re here.”

I curled up on my bed, listening to my parents’ warm voices. Tears of bitterness streamed down my face.

Numbers appeared on my wristband.

[Twelve hours.]

It was counting down.

Great! Soon, Dylan would live a long, long life!

…

I did not remember when I had fallen asleep, but I had a dream where I felt warm, as if I was in my mom’s arms.

When I woke up, my entire body felt like it had been torn apart. Many new wounds had appeared, and the pus stuck to my clothes.

I struggled to sit up. Only then did I see that my parents were downstairs playing in the snow with Dylan.

They were laughing happily. In the sunlight, Dylan’s snow-white hair and eyelashes made him look like he had stepped right out of a fairy tale.

I looked down at the bleeding wounds on my own body. My chest felt ice-cold, like the snowman had reached inside and squeezed my heart with its icy hand.

I kept saying to myself, “I’m not in pain. I’m not afraid of the pain!”

I endured the intense pain as I hastily threw on my winter coat. I then staggered and ran downstairs.

When Dylan saw me, his eyes lit up. It seemed like he had completely forgotten his breakdown from the day before.

“Ches, hurry! Come build a snowman with us.”

Dad brushed the snow off his clothes. “There you are! Perfect timing! Play with Dylan for a bit. Your mom and I will go upstairs and cook. We’ll make Dylan some soup.”

Mom said to me, “Ches, take care of Dylan.”

Then, they turned and went upstairs.

Dylan excitedly pulled me along.

The moment sunlight fell on him, all the pain transferred to me. The skin on my arms began to burn and sting, but I was happy.

Suddenly, a few boys walked by. They pointed at Dylan and laughed mockingly.

“Hey, look! A white-haired freak!”

Dylan’s smile froze, and his face turned pale.

I immediately stepped in front of him to shield him.

“Get lost! Don’t you dare bully my brother!”

The boy at the front shoved me.

“Who do you think you are? Beat it!”

I fell hard onto the snowy ground. My knee hit a rock and started bleeding.

They took advantage of the chaos and surrounded Dylan. They reached out and tugged at his hair.

“Ha ha, it really is white! Freak!”

“Leave my brother alone!”

I tried to get up but fell back down.

All I could do was watch as Dylan broke down in sobs.

Just then, I heard Mom shout, “Scram! All of you, shoo!”

She rushed down and shoved the boys away. Then, she pulled Dylan into her arms and sheltered him.

The boys scattered and ran off.

She was trembling all over as she checked on Dylan.

“Dylan, are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? Tell me.”

She then turned to look at me. “Chester!”

She stormed over to me.

“I told you to take care of Dylan! You just stood there and watched him get bullied?! What are you even good for?!”

I covered my bleeding knee and said in explanation, “Mom, I was pushed down. My knee is bleeding. I can’t stand up—”

“Shut up!”

Mom would not listen to me at all. She grabbed my arm so forcefully that she nearly lifted me off the ground.

“You’re bleeding? What does it matter that you’re bleeding? Dylan’s terrified! If he’s traumatized because of this, can you live with yourself?”

Dad had also come downstairs. He frowned and hoisted Dylan onto his back. He spoke in a low voice to comfort Dylan as he walked back to the house.

Mom dragged me all the way back upstairs.

Lily heard the commotion and opened her door. She saw me covered in injuries. “What’re you doing? He’s only six! You can’t just—”

Mom cut her off. “What do you know? He just stood there watching Dylan get bullied! He wants Dylan to die sooner!”

Lily was just about to say something when I smiled faintly and said, “Mrs. Lance, it was my fault. I didn’t protect Dylan well enough…”

Mom shoved me into the bedroom. “You stay right here and think about what you did!”

She pointed at me and said harshly, “Are you secretly hoping something happens to Dylan? Do you wish he’d just die so you can have Dad and me all to yourself?!”

“I don’t! Mom, I really—”

The door slammed shut. Darkness and icy chill swallowed me whole.

The blood had clotted on my knee and frozen right into my pants. With each breath, my wounds pulled and stung.

In that deadly cold silence, the wristband on my arm vibrated violently.

I looked down and saw a number counting down on it.

Suddenly, everything went black.

Countless images flashed before my eyes.

Not long after I was born, my mother held me gently. But her tears fell onto my face. “Ches, you are my angel! You were truly sent here to save Dylan…”

Dad was in tears as he fastened the wristband onto my hand. I immediately burst into loud cries, but they could not bear to look at me.

The first time Dylan snuck out to the balcony, I was playing with building blocks on the floor. The moment his arm was exposed to sunlight, my arm broke out in sores. I wailed loudly.

Mom rushed over and applied ointment on it as he cried. “I’m so sorry, Ches. I really am. Let me blow on it. It won’t hurt anymore…”

After it happened many times, I learned to endure it. I stopped crying out in pain. Then, I stopped crying altogether.

Mom no longer held me while treating my wounds or comforted me.

When I opened my eyes again, the pain was gone.

Was I dead?

The lifespan transfer had succeeded!

A wave of immense joy almost made me jump up.

“Yay! I’m dead! I really gave my life to Dylan! He’ll live!” I sang.

I excitedly got up and wanted to rush out of the room to tell Mom the wonderful news!

However, when my hand touched the door handle, it went right through.

Just then, there was a commotion outside the door.

“Mom, you finally made it! You must’ve felt so cold on the way here.”

“Oh, Dylan. Let me see you. Did you get thinner?”

It was my grandmother, Mable Jeater!

I hurriedly passed through the door.

Dylan was wearing brand-new clothes and was nestled in Mable’s arms.

Aunt Deborah was here too. She was arranging fruits on the table.

Only then did I realize that today was the first day of the new year.

Grama pulled out a present.

“Here, Dylan, take this. Have a great new year ahead!”

She then turned to Mom. “Where’s Chester? I have a present for him too!”