A Son's Tragedy

“One short! Kill him; he's flanking us!”

“I killed him, but be careful. Someone needs to watch long. Why did all of you leave the site just to kill the player in short?”

“Ah, I'm dead! Screw this game.”

“When did he get to us? That was fast.”

“That's because you're a noob. Why did you leave the site? You had to watch long.”

-screaming- “Because I've lost hope in winning this match! We can't make a comeback.”

This was a typical conversation during a video game, the game that young man Yuriy Kozlov enjoys playing the most. He spends most of his time on it, especially now that he no longer has school to attend. Because of the war that erupted in his country with a neighboring nation, he finds himself with little else to do but play video games all day.

After losing another ranked match, Yuriy was livid. He nearly threw his monitor against the wall, and given the circumstances, it was hard to blame him. He had lost another pivotal match after being just one game away from achieving the highest rank in the game. Now, with a losing streak, he found himself far from that elusive rank once again. It was deeply discouraging for him.

Suddenly, as Yuriy pressed hard on his mouse and slapped his keyboard nonstop, a voice emanated from somewhere within the small, frail-looking country house. The dampness covering its roof indicated that it was likely situated in a rural village.

The voice was enough to distract the young man from his anger. Its soft tone revealed that it belonged to an older woman.

“Yuriy, my son… can you come for a minute?”

Without any delay, Yuriy responded to the call. His anger subsided, and with a sense of responsibility, he rose from his chair, calling out in a high-pitched tone, “Coming, Mom!”

He followed the echoes of his mother's voice and found himself in a small room. The scent of bug spray mixed with the smell of wet dirt from the hard rain outside. It was his mom's room. She was lying on the bed in the center. Speaking with a low and respectful tone, Yuriy asked, "What is it, Mom?"

Yuriy's mom hesitated to reveal the reason she had called him. A hint of embarrassment was evident on her face as she blushed and began, "Well, you know..."

The young man quickly grasped what his mom wanted. Overcome with guilt, he immediately moved towards her, chastising himself internally, thinking, 'What an idiot. You should've understood the moment she called you, without making your mom feel embarrassed.'

All his mom wanted was help to sit on the bedside commode. She could no longer walk because of the grievous injury to her leg, inflicted by the enemy.

With a face as serious as ice, Yuriy tensed his muscles and carefully lifted his mom from the bed, helping her to sit on the bedside commode. Afterward, he stared at her, seemingly lost in thought. Noticing his gaze, his mom quickly mustered her usual warm smile and said, "Yuriy, my son, I can't do it if you keep staring at me like that."

With a sheepish expression, he exclaimed, “I’m sorry!” twice in quick succession. He then hurriedly began to exit the room. But before closing the door to give his mom some privacy, he suddenly turned around and, in a voice filled with a mix of embarrassment and regret, said, "I'm sorry, Mom. I truly apologize for every time I disobeyed you and for every time I raised my voice at you."

The mom looked surprised for a moment, but she soon replaced it with her characteristic smile. In an encouraging tone, she said, “You're a good boy, Yuriy, aren't you? I've always felt that the injury to my leg brought more good than harm. Seeing you mature like this truly makes me the happiest mother on earth.”

Before Yuriy even realized, tears streamed down his face. He became emotional quite easily; it was as if he was standing on the edge and his mom's words were the nudge that made him shed tears, perhaps for the first time ever in his life.

Yuriy grew up in a family that valued bold manners. He never expressed his feelings to his parents; even his father, who died in the war, never heard Yuriy say the words "I love you." In such families, displaying emotion was often seen as a sign of cowardice and weakness.

As a child, Yuriy was quite spoiled. He did whatever he pleased and often yelled at his parents disrespectfully. For instance, when playing video games, if he lost a match, he'd shout at them, blaming them for entering his room or making too much noise outside, which he claimed distracted him. He also had a short temper over minor things; once, he threw a plate out the window simply because his meal didn't have chicken in it.

While all of this behavior occurred when he was only thirteen, it doesn't change the fact that Yuriy was a spoiled child with poor manners. However, after losing his father in the war at fifteen, his sense of guilt surfaced. Seeing his mother in her current state intensified his remorse for every time he had acted out as a child.

Yuriy promised himself that he would never behave as he did when he was younger. He committed to caring for his mother personally until his last day, as penance for his past mistakes, even if it meant leaving joy behind forever.

This is why he wanted to reach the highest rank in the game he played. He hoped to start streaming his gameplay and, once he began attracting viewers, potentially benefit from their donations. This way, he wouldn't have to be away from his mother.

As the days passed, Yuriy continued playing his usual game nonstop. By playing more and analyzing the game closely, he kept improving his game sense. Taking the game seriously and following his passion, he never ceased to get better.

Then the day came when he reached the Elo he had always dreamed of – the highest rank in the game. After achieving this, many pro players began to recognize him, even though he hadn't started his streaming career yet. This recognition was due to his intelligent strategies that often led his teams to victory. He even appeared on numerous other pro players' streams, earning him the title of "the philosopher" among them because of his high IQ strategies.

The new title was as precious as a glory necklace worn around the neck for all to see. He felt joy seeing pro players appreciate his presence in their lobby. Wanting to share this joy, he turned to his beloved one, who was the reason for his success. Without a doubt, it was his mother. Together, their jubilant celebration filled the air with such noise that the entire neighborhood wondered what was happening inside that small house.

The house was filled with joy, even though two of its important members were gone: a father and a son who died at birth.

As the days passed, Yuriy finally decided to start his streaming career. He ventured to the neighboring city and purchased all the essential equipment for streaming. He bought a camera to show his face to viewers, as this would likely attract more of them. He also acquired a professional microphone so that viewers could clearly hear his commentary during gameplay.

Yuriy returned to his house with a wide smile on his face, thinking that everything would be alright from now on. His gamer name had become quite famous, and he believed that once he started his streaming career, many viewers would join his stream from the very first day

This is what he hoped for as he walked toward his village, losing himself in thoughts and future plans. But then, he saw his home from a distance with a strange gathering of people. He wondered about it, as the view was unclear. It wasn't just one person, not merely two, but at least ten people surrounding the house. This made him curious about what was happening inside

Yuriy's steps lengthened as he rushed toward his house, eager to find out what was happening. After all, it was not just his home, but his mother's as well.

"H-Hi, why is the whole neighborhood gathered around our house?"

When the neighbors noticed Yuriy, they fell silent, their somber expressions making Yuriy even more anxious about what might have transpired inside.

He asked again, "I'm talking to all of you, what's happening…”

Before he could even finish his sentence, he seemed to grasp the implication of all the somber faces around him. Without hesitation, he rushed into the house, driven by a sinking feeling that something bad had happened to his mom.

He found her room's door open. His eyes widened, and his heart raced. Without even removing his shoes, he rushed in, calling out, "Mom!"

Upon entering, he discovered a group of women inside.

They were crying loudly...

He stared in shock for a moment, looking at the lifeless body before him — a woman who seemed to have passed away peacefully, wearing her usual warm smile.

It was his mother, who had left this life without even saying goodbye to her son.