Useless trash! You are of no value to our family, only a stain!
Voices from people and his family he hadn't heard in years echoed in the deep recesses of his mind. They sneered, taunting his fragility, jeering at his stupid self who had gone ahead to save others and ended up in a terrible situation.
Was that worth it, Xion? Was risking your own life worth it?
Minato-sensei's voice lingered in his thoughts, sharpening the regret gnawing at every decision he'd ever made.
In his chaotic mind, he forgot that Minato-sensei would never say something like that. The old man would have smiled with his wrinkled face and would have praised him gently, for his courage and soulful heart.
But the cruel voices only grew louder.
"No," he mumbled with the numbing desperation. "I can't. I don't want to get used to this blindness."
Shaking his head in denial, he picked himself up again.
He took a deep breath and forced his legs to move toward where he assumed the door was.
