I woke up in the shrouded embrace of complete darkness, questioning whether I had even slept at all. The absence of sensation and sight left me detached from my own physicality, and at times, I struggled to recall my own name, Drasker Limnosqun. In the boundless void, I found myself gazing aimlessly, consumed by boredom. It had been an eternity since I found myself in this predicament, though it all began innocently enough, with a mere walk home from school.
"Hey, everyone! Look who it is," Jack's voice sliced through the mundane footsteps and chatter. He lounged against the Stoney grey alley walls, accompanied by his cronies, Derak and Frontis, their eyes fixated on me.
"Come here!" Frontis bellowed, cigarette in hand, leaning against the wall. Thoughts of fleeing raced through my mind, but the futility of escape became evident as tomorrow's return to school loomed, with them sharing the same class as me.
I approached them, head down, well aware of what awaited me next. "Go ahead and give it to us already and leave," Derak demanded, his voice laced with impatience.
Today, however, luck had turned against me, and I had nothing to offer. "Well, hurry up and give us the money," Jack sneered.
"B-but I... I didn't get any today," I stammered, knowing full well that my words would only invite further torment.
"Huh, we know you're lying. Playing around with that rich family of yours," Jack sneered.
"Yeah, and if you don't comply, we'll make sure you suffer worse than last time," Frontis added with a sadistic grin.
Their words struck a nerve, reminding me of the previous occasion when I couldn't pay them—a week of being unable to attend school, a week of further torment. I had attempted to resist then, but my feeble attempts proved futile. I embodied the archetype of a typical nerd lacking in muscle and sporting a scrawny frame. Black hair framed my pale, ghostly complexion, and I neglected to groom my relatively short hair. Nonetheless, my vision was not blocked by my hair, the one thing I held onto and relied on.
Intellect, my sole ally, resided within me. Countless books I had devoured, earning me the title of bookworm, a label that only drew more ridicule and bullying. Jack clenched his fist and struck my stomach, followed by Derak seizing my head, delivering a vicious knee strike and further disorienting me. As I staggered, struggling to regain composure, Frontis's leg struck my chest, expelling all air from my lungs, and I crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath.
"P-please, I genuinely don't have any," I pleaded weakly, the words escaping as mere huffs and wheezes. However, they fell on deaf ears, and my tormentors proceeded to unleash a relentless barrage of kicks and stomps.
Hours stretched into an eternity as they relentlessly pummelled me. I had hoped that someone, anyone, would intervene, but I was met only with indifference. Some even revelled in the spectacle, their twisted grins etched into my memory.
My family's wealth had inadvertently become my curse. Extortion, bribery, assault—my family's ascent into affluence sowed the seeds of my torment. They were akin to a mafia, and I, the black sheep for my lack of strength or utility. To them, I was a mere nerd, a bookworm—an outcast even within my own bloodline. Yet, my brothers proved even worse than the bullies and scrutiny.
After they had their fill of violence, Jack sneered, "You better bring some next time, or else, you bitch." I received their final act of contempt as they each spat on a different part of my battered body. With their departure, they giggled amongst themselves, plotting their next sadistic venture.
When the sun neared its descent, I rose from the ground, and with every step, I staggered toward home. I traversed the pathway flanked by stalls and shops, eventually reaching the darkened threshold of my abode. Inside, my family sat at the table, relishing their meal with intricately designed silverware. Ignored by all except my two brothers, Rance and Gelver, their exchanged glances turned into grins directed at me.
A shiver crawled down my spine as I pondered the horrors they had in store. My brothers harbored no concern for my well-being, willing to stab and break bones at the slightest provocation. To them, I was nothing more than a toy, discarded once their sadistic entertainment reached its climax. I sought solace in my room, which housed a table to the far left, a bed to the far right, and a solitary lamp to my left. No windows adorned the walls, plunging the room into perpetual darkness. My closet, nestled against the left wall, harbored fifteen or so books alongside a handful of clothes, primarily school attire. I settled onto my bed, gazing at the ceiling with vacant eyes, my bruises a constellation sprawled across my face, legs, and body. "At least they didn't break my nose," I murmured, rising momentarily to change into a red shirt, blue jumper, and black trousers. Exhausted, I resumed my position on the bed, fixating on the depths of my pain and the relentless question: Why me?
Hours later, I stirred, retrieving a few books from the closet, arranging them on the table beside my bed. I commenced reading, yet after an indeterminable length of time, I paused. Stretching my hands and yawning, I reclined, contemplating whether leaving my room was worth encountering my repulsed family. "No," I whispered to myself, resigning to remain where I was.
As I drifted off into sleep, or what passed for it, I awoke, finding myself bound to a chair in a dark room, a piercing light aimed directly at my face, obscuring my surroundings. Emerging from the shadows, my brother Rance approached from the left, while Gelver materialized from the right, their smiles twisted with sadistic glee, a hand concealed behind their backs.
Drawing closer, they reveled in the macabre scene. "Wha-what are you—" I began, my words stifled as Rance revealed a knife from his hiding place. Gelver followed suit, unveiling a blade of his own.
Fear rooted me to the spot for a fleeting moment. "What do you want?" I shouted, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. Rance took another step, brandishing the knife. "Wait, what are yo—" I cried out, but Rance drove the blade into my leg, narrowly avoiding the bone. Agonizing pain erupted, tearing through me.
Simultaneously, Gelver advanced, plunging his knife into my other leg, missing the bone by a hair's breadth. Retreating into the shadows, they left me, writhing in anguish. They returned, bearing more knives, thrusting them into my arms. My screams had abandoned me, and I could only gasp for air amidst my wails of torment.
I guessed they were testing me. How many times could they stab me before I succumbed? My legs and arms became their canvas, their blades leaving crimson streaks. My voice, lost to the relentless agony, ceased to exist. They vanished once more, locking the door behind them, ensuring my captivity.
Light-headedness enveloped me, whether from the loss of blood or the previous bouts of screaming, I could not discern. Vision blurred, fading into nothingness. Now, this abyss is my reality. Months melded into an indistinguishable stretch of time, and insanity began to claim me. Endless screams echoed, their futility omnipresent, my voice reduced to a mere echo. I delved into experimentation, driven by the books I had read, believing the afterlife to be a realm of thought. Yet, my attempts to manifest anything through the power of my mind proved fruitless. Countless more attempts followed, guided by the pages of my reading, even resorting to prayer, yet nothing changed.
Amidst despair, I focused my thoughts, consumed by rage and an insatiable thirst for revenge. Desperate to quell this inferno within, I strained to push it away, but instead, a faint blue screen materialized before me.
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Bloodthirsty Aura
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