YTA.
If you genuinely, honestly thought you had killed someone who you considered a dear friend, then you should have turned yourself in. I am sure that explaining yourself to the pertinent authorities would clarify the situation. You would have to serve penance for your actions, but it would be penance justly deserved. Unsafe dueling is argued to be the number one cause of death among young mages. You should not have been dueling in an abandoned mall—a place in which I have no doubt you were trespassing—in the first place.
You should come forth and apologize to your friend. If you do not, the situation will only worsen, and your guilt will never be resolved.
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AITA for exacting revenge on my nephew’s ex-boyfriend, without telling my nephew?
(spoilered for domestic violence & murder.)
I am the temporary guardian of my nephew, who we’ll call O. O had a boyfriend, W, who was notably older than him. After barely knowing each other for two months, O decided to gradually move into W’s apartment. At this point I was concerned, but as O is not my son I did not intervene (I feel that would have been more the responsibility of a parent rather than a mere guardian).
O ran home one night with part of his skull beaten in. Luckily as a surgeon and healer I was able to save his impacted eye, but the injuries not only very nearly cost him half of his vision, but his very life. Needless to say, it was W’s doing. It was a traumatizing experience for O that has taken him time to adjust and come to terms with. For all intents and purposes, from what I gather, their relationship was benign up until this incident. I have provided O as much support as I feasibly can, and he seems to be doing remarkably well, all things considered.
As for W… I had him brought to justice. By my hand, he died for what he did. Slowly. Let me be clear: I am no murderer. But exceptions were made, perhaps ones that I am not proud of.
I have no intention of telling my nephew that I killed W, but my conscience weighs on me. Every night I am plagued by the memory of W’s screams. Should I tell O what I did? …Am I the antagonist?