It was just another normal day in Cindre. Some people were walking peacefully through The Avenue shopping mall, one of the largest and most sophisticated commercial centers in the city. However, a strange scene disturbed the people walking on the fifth floor of this building: a man with scarlet red hair emanated a threatening and tense aura while staring at the window of a children's toy store. He wore casual clothes but a yellow hat, and his face was covered by sunglasses and a mask, as if he clearly wanted to hide his appearance and camouflage himself, but ended up failing miserably.
However, there was something that drew even more attention than all these factors: a black mark with several crack details completely covered his left arm. This was a sign that he definitely was not just an ordinary person and, at the very least, possessed a high level of strength.
'Why is it so hard to choose a present that doesn't seem too much in his eyes?!' — thought the man.
Suddenly, two brutes in sophisticated suits appeared next to the man. As they were afraid that this man might be plotting something, the store attendants alerted the shopping mall's security guards.
— What do you think you're doing? If you intend to cause any disturbance around here, know that things won't end well for you! — spoke one of the brutes in a threatening tone.
However, the man continued to ignore them and remained the same way, as if he didn't care about their existence and was only concerned with solving the dilemma in front of him.
— Are you ignoring us?! If you don't leave this place on your own within the next few seconds, we will be forced to use force! — The two brutes began to feel a little intimidated by the sense of danger coming from that man, wondering if they should already resort to aggression and contain him immediately.
However, they continued to be ignored and the feeling of intimidation turned into irritation.
'Aaargh! Screw it! I'll buy whatever I want, the gift won't even be for him!' — thought the man.
It was at that moment that the two brutes simultaneously struck to grab him forcefully and immobilize him. For the people passing by, the movements of the security guards were already difficult to follow and it seemed like they had hit their mark, even the guards believed it. However, the next scene left them extremely confused and soon after shocked.
The man had disappeared from where he was and reappeared behind the brutes. His movement was so fast that, to the normal eyes of a human, it looked like he had teleported there. He put his hands on the shoulders of the two guards, who were in shock, and said:
— Calm down, gentlemen, I was just deciding which toy to buy. It's nothing serious.
But, he didn't realize that his hat had fallen off and a crowd of people were staring at him. His plan to camouflage had failed and what he feared the most had happened.
— Wait! That mark and that red hair, along with that scary speed... is it Kayden?!
— What?! The Crimson King has returned to Cindre?!
— I can't believe the vice-leader of the Annihilators is right in front of me!!
'Holy shit…' — thought Kayden, feeling that he should leave there quickly before being surrounded.
And, as he had imagined, the crowd started to come after him with various pens while asking for his autograph on any of the objects they were holding. Some of them were even asking him to sign their bodies.
— Sorry everyone, but I have a commitment for today, so see you later! — And then, like a magic trick, he disappeared completely from where he was and left no trace behind.
— Did we just almost get into a fight with the famous Kayden Aidan? — questioned one of the security guards, still in shock.
— I feel like our lives are on the line… — answered the other security guard.
(Gendred POV)
And here I am again, getting ready to go towards my daily hell known as school, full of bullying with a pinch of embarrassment. Today is the day when Julie will be discharged and come back to our home, so we are planning a welcome party.
— Father, do you want me to buy things before going home?
— No need, I will do it myself. I want you to pick her up and bring her here at 5:00 PM sharp, and not a minute before — Jack replies.
— But she will be discharged at 2:00 PM…
— Exactly! You'll have to buy me and your brother some time — Says Jack.
— Wait, is Kayden coming today? Wasn't he on a mission at the border?
— Yes, but he arrived in Cindre today. In fact, he should already be on his way here. He was looking forward to meeting Julie, so he didn't want to miss the opportunity to be at her welcome party — explains Jack.
I shiver all over my body, feeling like he's going to bring some unnecessarily extravagant gift, as he always did on my birthdays...
I say goodbye and hurry to school. Today's teacher is not at all tolerant of tardiness, especially when it comes to me. Weak and powerless people have not a single moment of peace in this city, do they?
After a few minutes of walking, I finally arrived at the extravagant Sunny school. I managed to get there a few minutes before the start of class and watched the first few classes without much trouble. The rest of the morning passed normally, except for the new bruise I acquired on my left arm, but that's all within my usual routine, just cover it with my blue jacket.
— That coward Roger beat you up again, didn't he? - Quinn asked.
— Yes, he never gets tired of doing that to me or any other guy who has less power than him...
— How can someone with such a questionable character be blessed with a powerful lineage like the Ávila family? Besides having a huge birthmark, his family has a huge fortune, his brother is close to the mayor, and his parents have great influence in the local trade. — Quinn
Roger Caster De Ávila is his full name. His family has been established in this city since its foundation and is known for their shrewd and powerful ability. They are deeply involved in Cindre's local politics, with his older brother being the right-hand man of the current mayor and his parents managing a significant portion of the local trade, including controlling part of the taxes paid by large companies. Recently, there has been controversy involving suspicion of embezzlement of public funds, but the matter was mysteriously hushed up.
— They only have a huge fortune because they're corrupt and embezzle taxes. He really pulled on their parents! — Gendred said.
— Be careful what you say, Gendred! Who knows what they would do to you if your words reached their ears?! - Quinn warned.
— Relax, man, it's not like they would care about what a simple student says about them... I hope so.
After we said goodbye, I headed to the hospital. I was still worried about what to do to entertain a child for three hours, as there weren't many fun options in Cindre that didn't cost an exorbitant amount.
— I think I'm going to take her to buy a dress…
It took me about 20 minutes of walking to reach the hospital. When I opened the door to the room, I saw Julie being fed small pieces of fruit. It was around 2:10 PM, so they must have been giving her the afternoon snack before releasing her.
— How are you? Did everything go well? — I asked.
— Papa!! — Julie exclaimed.
Julie run towards me joyfully and I held her in my arms. Perhaps because I had saved her and taken care of her during most of her days in the hospital, she now saw me as some sort of father figure.
— Her health is stable and we can release her immediately if you want, but I need you to sign some documents before that. Is that okay? — asked the nurse.
After signing some documents declaring that I was aware of her health condition and physical integrity, I received some medications that she needed to take for a few more days and soon we were heading to a shopping mall that was a few minutes away from the hospital.
We ventured inside that huge place and explored various attractions, from the famous stores full of children's toys to a gigantic arcade with ball pits and various playgrounds. We savored delicious burgers and then visited a children's clothing store. I chose to buy a purple dress for her, simply because it was her favorite color and I wanted to see her radiant on such a special day.
— How is it? Do you like it? — asked the store attendant.
— What do you think, Julie? — asked Gendred.
— It's pretty, papa! — Replied Julie, with a small smile and her cheeks blushing in harmony with the freckles on her face.
— Then I'll take it! How much does it cost? — asked Gendred to the store attendant.
— Only 500 dollars. The price is cheaper because we're offering a 25% discount on all items in the store! — replied the attendant.
'ONLY 500 dollars?! Is there gold in this dress and I don't know about it?!' — Gendred thought, with a shocked expression on his face. Julie noticed his reaction and discreetly pulled his shirt after the attendant left to package the dress.
— Papa, is it too expensive? Julie doesn't need it...
— Hold on there, little one! This is extremely cheap for this papa here! This is your welcome gift! — replied Gendred, exuding confidence as he slightly puffed out his chest.
— Really??
— Yes. After that, let's have a big ice cream and go to your new home!
— Yay! Papa is the best! — Julie replied, jumping with joy like she had never done before.
'I did my best to hide my shock, but how does a 7-year-old girl worry about money? What has she already experienced in life to think about these things?' — Gendred thought, feeling a bit sorry for the girl.
After paying, Gendred felt his wallet much lighter and almost shed a tear. After fulfilling the promise of buying an ice cream for the girl, they went back home and arrived at the agreed time.
— Welcome!! — They shouted as soon as the door was opened.
Julie was a little surprised, but soon her eyes lit up at the sight of the wonderful decoration that adorned the entire house.
I tried to enjoy that moment to the fullest, but if I had known what would come after that day, I would have done even more to leave better memories behind.