"...Four years. We went into the orphanage when I was seven and he was three, and we were adopted when I was ten and he was six. I'm seventeen now."

It's a bit easier to talk about that bit, it's grounding. He's grateful for that, and he can continue to the harder part.

"I never wanted to get into the war machine, though. I'd promised my brother we'd open a theme park for orphans like us one day, and I wanted to put fun and games into the world...but those years corrupted me. When I was fifteen, he gave me my final test to see if I was ruthless enough to succeed him. I had to hurt my brother to do it...and when he saw that I really was ruthless, he faked his death, because to lose is to die. But I didn't find out it was a fakeout until years later, and..."

One more shuddering breath.

"I dismantled the war machine and started building the theme park, but I was driven by nothing but hate and wanting to be the best at this point. I blackmailed people into giving me the tools I needed to be the best game player in the world, I treated even my brother cruelly, I put other people my age into life-threatening situations...until I met another gamer with supernatural powers who bested me. He used his power to shatter my soul and force me to rebuild it, reconnecting with the parts of myself I'd forgotten in my rage.

So...things are better now, but like you...I still left a trail behind me. And I still hate to lose, I guess."