Rhys soon arrived at his home. It wasn't as nearly as fancy or spacious as the ones near campus, but it was fancy enough for the untrained eye to tell that his family was a wealthy one. The house was pretty, but it hid the chaos that occurred inside.
Rhys, of course, was on the receiving end of that chaos.
It made his palms sweat just thinking about what would happen to him.
He was still a bug in comparison to his parents.
While his mother could summon binding vines, his father could enhance the strength of his limbs. They were by no means 'bad' powers either. It was a shame that such blessings were wasted on terrible people. They seemed to fit too well with their personalities, almost like two peas in a pod.
Although they were both 'B' ranks, they were no heroes.
In their younger years, like many others, they only participated in killing monsters for the sake of money. Once their greed was sated, they stopped.
It was that same greed that caused them to abuse Rhys. But, Rhys didn't want to dwell on such things.
He rang the doorbell, as a loud mechanical beep sounded.
The door opened with a quiet click and the arrogant vixen was soon standing in front of him. She had a look of scorn on her face.
Rhys slightly lowered his eyes towards the ground. It wasn't of shame, but of terror.
Her eyes glared down at the young boy. She reached out her hand, grabbing his wrist and pulling him in, before shutting the door.
Her strength left a red mark on his wrist, but he did not flinch.
"Rhys"
She dragged him to an empty room. It was the only empty room in the house. Why? Because his parents didn't know what to fill it with.
There were no windows, no lights, nothing. Rhys hated that room.
When things got serious between him and his parents, he'd be taken there. They'd beat him, then leave him inside. It was lonesome, cold, and dark. While it was the ideal place for storage, it was the opposite for housing someone.
It was more akin to a prison cell than a room in an expensive house.
However, they'd only keep him inside for a day at most. Their son still had his duties to fulfill, and they were not
Rhys was light, so his mother could toss him onto the cold floor. It hurt.
She kicked him, and soon, his father joined too.
It hurt.
A lot.
His body was getting sore.
He sputtered some saliva out. Still, he was hanging on. He was still conscious.
They hit him more.
And more.
And more.
Rhys could not take it anymore, but despite his quiet pleas, they did not stop.
However, he was still conscious. He'd have to tolerate it, for now.
The door shut as his parents left him inside.
'Cold...'
The small gap between the ground and the door let in a little light, though not enough for him to fully see the entirety of the room. His vision was still shrouded in darkness.
He attempted to lift his body up, but it was no use. His body was adorned with red and purple bruises from his legs to his collar bone. It'd be bad if someone were to catch wind of this, and his parents knew it.
The school did not administer uniforms, thus allowing for his parents to decide what he wore to school. Shorts? No! Tee-shirts? No!
You must be crazy! Do you really think we're really going to let this little secret get leaked?
They always dressed him in loose hoodies and thick, long pants.
The dust that had collected within the room made him cough. Occasionally, he'd gag from the accidental inhalation of the dirty matter.
He was hurt and aching all over, however, it was also...
'Boring'
Rhys let out a groan of both pain and boredom.
While the pain may go away, the boredom would not.
He'd just have to wait and wait, which he was already used to. But despite that, nothing could cure his boredom while in the confines of the empty room.
He waited.
And waited.
And waited.
How much time has passed?
5 hours? 7 hours?
While in the midst of pondering that question, the door suddenly creaked open, letting in all the light from the outside. As he gazed up, he saw his mother's legs, torso, then her scrunched-up face.
She was slightly slouched and she stumbled around.
'It must be nighttime'
Rhys was also tired. Albeit significantly more. He just wanted to go eat and sleep.
'Did she forget I was here?'
It wasn't too uncommon that she would forget him. Would you remember litter on the street?
Likely not.
His body had already recovered enough for him to stand up. Although he stumbled and wobbled, he managed to walk to the kitchen.
His mother had already gone back to her bedroom.
The hallways were always lit. It was a waste of energy, but laziness came with the lavish lifestyle his parents were granted.
His dinner was heated-up leftovers, something that a 'rich boy' like Rhys wouldn't typically be eating. Though, Rhys was not picky.
The hallways were empty, yet were adorned with fancy wallpapers and decorations. Living in such a house was a luxury, yet, Rhys felt somewhat lonely.
He covered his bruised and battered body in the soft blankets, and he immediately felt better. Albeit only slightly. It was comforting being back in his own room after being in the empty one for so long.
The day was coming to an end. Or at least, it was for everyone else but Rhys. He was going to put this time to good use.
'System.'
A blue screen appeared in front of his eyes. The contrast between light and dark hurt his eyes somewhat. He squinted his eyes in hopes of relieving the strain.
His finger lightly tapped the blue screen as he dozed off into a deep slumber.
'[Entering Realm...]'
The System chimed, before sending him off to his dream.