And Kai was a terrified little boy in a glass box, staring at millions of strangers who had paid to see him destroy himself.

“And what did you feel?” Dr. Elara asked.

Kai drank it. He waited for the burn, the primal heave. Nothing happened. He tried to force it. He stuck his fingers down his throat. He gagged. He coughed. But nothing came up.

The comments section was a sewer of adoration and hatred. “King!” “Seek help.” “This is art.” “I hope you choke.” He absorbed it all like a nutrient slurry. The abuse he gave online was a perfect mirror of the abuse he took at home. The only difference was now he was the one holding the camera, and the world was his terrified, applauding father.