The morning unfolded with a quiet blessing—a gently bright sunlight that filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. It was a light that spoke without words, its warmth a silent reminder that no matter the weight of one's troubles, life, in its quiet perseverance, moved forward. The air felt crisp, as though the world itself was taking a deep breath before continuing its journey.
Keith stirred beneath the covers, feeling the soothing embrace of the light on his skin. He blinked slowly, as though savoring the moment, and for a fleeting second, he allowed himself to believe that everything might just be alright. With a quiet sigh, he pushed aside the blanket, the soft rustle of fabric barely breaking the stillness of the morning. His feet met the cool floor, and without haste, he made his way to the bathroom.
The routine was simple, familiar—a comfort in its ordinariness. As he stood before the mirror, the hum of the world outside seemed to fade into a distant whisper. He took a breath and reached for his toothbrush, the bristles scraping lightly against his teeth, each motion an anchor that tied him to the present moment. It was as though the world had paused just long enough for him to feel its pulse, a reminder that despite everything, life was moving on.
Just from age 4 to 5 years, it was a custom in all Noble families to provide their kids with their separate rooms, more accurately called as halls, having all required furniture as that of a bedroom, though additionally their study table with shelves where books of their interest were placed because all the Nobles had wide importance for the educational development of their kids. The Nobles' kids were provided with different professors as their tutors for different subjects and they had to satisfy their tutors' expectations to be regarded as graduated from each of the subjects, as there was no system of sending their children to schools for gaining education amongst them. Along their main bedroom, there was another large room with no furniture at all, but just a wide space so that a kid could fill it up with his or her own interests.
Unlike Jason, who had filled his spare room with dumbbells of different weights, gym machines and sports related goods, Keith had nothing in his spare room due to which Jason had become physically strong as compared to Keith. Perhaps, Keith had not found out his hobbies yet or maybe, the world was too boring for his rapidly expanding mental excellence, because alll his tutors were totally impressed by his extraordinary mental abilities, like he could solve the most complicated mathematical problems without using a calculator, he could measure the height, width, depth of any object without using any scales or parameters, just by looking at any building, he could draw its architectural map by accurately estimating all its angles and other measurements because his analyzing abilities and use of logical senses were beyond normal even at such a young age.
During breakfast in the main family hall…
Sounds resembling that of bird chirping, extremely calm and fascinating to ears, being produced at intervals as smooth breezes of wind touch the hanging glass shapes and classical, old style bells from the lantern giving golden dim light. As curtains were slid to the sides, that golden dim lantern light was not prominent in the presence of day bright sunlight.
As Miss Frizzi brought the tray on which glasses of juice were put for each member of the Janes family, except for Watson who was too little for such drinks, she lost balance slightly and the tray fell from her hands with juice spilling on the creamy brown colored coat of Jason janes, who was entirely opposite to his younger brother Keith, in terms of his temperament and personality.
"Are you fucking blind?! Look! What have you done to my suit?!" yelled him, as he stood up outrageously.
"Sorry Prince Jason! Sorry! I just lost my balance! My foot slipped a bit!" Miss Frizzi apologized in whatever way she could, as a chill of fear passed her spine as she remembered how harshly she could be treated then as her punishment.
"Calm down honey, we can order another glass of juice.." Mom said as she tried to alleviate the situation but Jason ignored entirely what his mother suggested.
"Place your hand on the table! Just place it right here!" gestured him, as he took a fork from nearby spoons' stand.
The feelings of extreme terror occupied her entire existence, but she found no option other than to follow his barbaric command. Her dreadful screams echoed in between the intervals of calm sounds of bird chirping, until drops of blood started flowing from the border of the table on the floor, rapidly one after another.
No one objected to unjust spilling of blood of someone innocent… No one hesitated to stop him… Their faces were normal as nothing really happened… Cheese continued to make sticky strips between their spoons and omelettes placed on their plates. All guards and workers there continued their duties as given to them, deaf and dumb. This was not anything unusual here because the Nobles considered their workers as their slaves and thought of themselves as the Gods, just because they had innate desire for sadism towards the Needies, who were merely the preys, destined to face brutality and humiliation afflicted to them by the Nobles.
After her fingers were pinched like a rough piece of meat due to continuous forceful attacks of sharp fork, he became satisfied.
"Now you can go.. Next time, be careful, okay?" advised him, as he smiled gently. Miss Frizzi closed her bleeding hand firmly within uninjured hand, pressed it tightly to stop both bleeding and suffering and ran as quickly as possible.
Although these events were usual for all members of Janes family, they were extremely painful for Keith who was not at all comfortable with his surroundings. With his increasing age, feelings of rebellion were mustering inside him and he felt like he was losing love and admiration for his own family.
Running after Miss Frizzi as she left from the main family hall, Keith provided her with strong pain killers, started bandaging her wounds and further advised her with some antibiotics to prevent any future infections.
Seeing that red cheeked boy eagerly bandaging her injured hand, she felt a ray of hope for all such victims of unjust treatment, but how could a single boy bring any change? Thought she at the same time.
"Do you love your family?" asked her, as she smiled and gently placed her uninjured hand on Keith's shoulder. It was an unusual question in this unusual situation… It was not what she was expected to question… She was indeed expected to express some pain and to give some hateful remarks against all Nobles…
"I try to explore it within myself… But there's nothing except for an empty shell with hollow space…" said him, as he continued bandaging, still focused on doing what he was doing.
"Explore what?" asked her, as she did not expect such an irrelevant answer, not realizing that it was truly the most meaningful reply to her question.
"Love," he whispered, the word slipping from his lips with a quiet tenderness, his smile a gentle curve that softened the air around them. His eyes, warm and deep, held a kindness that seemed to wrap itself around her like a blanket, a comfort amidst the chaos. He finished the bandaging with practiced care, his hands steady and sure.
Then, without a word, he stood, his movements smooth and effortless, and quietly turned to leave. There was no lingering gaze, no parting gesture. He simply vanished, as if his presence had never been there at all. In his wake, only the faint trace of warmth remained, and the echo of a tenderness that now seemed distant, like a forgotten dream.
He had been too kind, too open in his compassion, yet somehow, there had always been a distance between them, an invisible wall that he never allowed himself to cross. He felt her pain as if it were his own, his eyes reflecting the weight of her suffering, but his expression—his expression was nothing more than a mask of indifference, as cold and unyielding as stone.
How could someone who shared in her sorrow also remain so detached? How could the same person be both the light in her darkness and the shadow that loomed just out of reach? His eyes had shone with an optimism so bright, so hopeful, that it seemed as though he could change the world with a mere thought. Yet the rest of him—the stillness of his face, the rigid lines of his posture—remained unmoved, as though the weight of all that hope had never touched him at all.
How could life and death sit side by side in the same soul? How could such vibrancy and such emptiness exist within a single heart? How could a person radiate with the promise of a better tomorrow, yet wear the burden of resignation with such ease? He was a paradox—alive with possibility, yet indifferent to everything that truly mattered. It was as if he lived, and yet, in some quiet, inexplicable way, he was already dead.
As years passed by…
Keith became 8 years old and Jason had started participating in hunting rituals along with his father and mother. It was a custom for them to make their children start performing hunting and torturing rituals against the Needies, mainly on Saturday's nights, as soon as they became teenagers, because they believed that it was the most right time for their innate barbaric cravings to get properly well ordered satisfaction.
This relationship between the hunter and the prey had not only an apparently dark and horrible view, but it indeed had some biological background. Just as soon as prey would come to realize that he or she is going to undergo barbarian treatment, a chill of fear would release a hormone within their bodies named Fermen, to which a hunter's reactionary hormone named Jerene would release to provide them with satisfaction.
Thus, the release of Jerene within Nobles' bodies was essential for reaching their adequate level of satisfaction they desperately sought, but it could only be released after the release of Fermen inside the bodies of the Needies as a feedback reaction to the chill of fear, which could be immediately sensed by the Nobles.
Now we know that the relationship between the hunter and the prey was not merely a grotesque display of dominance and submission. Beneath the surface, it was governed by something far deeper—something ancient and biological, woven into the very fabric of their beings. It was an unspoken, instinctual bond that transcended mere cruelty. It was nature, raw and undeniable.
Besides, hunting once or twice would enhance the craving for the next time, decreasing the gaps between them to shorter and shorter. The time when the hunters would search for the prey to satisfy their innate barbaric desires, their bodies would be already dying for Fermen and they just want it desperately. For that purpose, they would sometimes choose their favourite prey, not always relying on the random person chosen as a prey on the Saturday's night parties. In some influential families, Nobles would even eat their prey's flesh to satisfy their ever increased Fermen's demands.
Those Nobles who were used to practising Cannibalism to satisfy their Fermen's demands had sharp teeth and rapidly growing nails, biologically given to them to make them understand their status as cannibals. Their teeth and nails would release an additional hormone named Naimi into their prey to paralyze their bodies to reduce their resistance to some extent, during their bloody meal time.
There was a knock at Jason's room early in the morning when he was lost in his deep sleep, partially snoring. As the intensity of knocking increased enough to break his dreamy comfort under the soft fabric of the blanket, he eventually had to wake up.
"Who is it at this hour of the day?!" said him in a frustrated tone as he quickly got up from his bed and opened the door.
"Hey big bro, Good morning! you promised to play soccer with me today… I thought I should give you a reminder" said Keith with a calm smile with his arms folded backward.
"You knocked too persistently just to remind me of that?! You shitty brat! I already remember that! Just leave already!" said him annoyingly, as he discourteously shut the door to Keith's face.
Jason had always been a man of few words, his bluntness almost a shield, a wall he had built around himself. To the outside world, he was a figure of indifference, his behavior direct and unyielding, leaving little room for warmth or tenderness. His words were sharp, his actions deliberate, as if every motion carried the weight of his no-nonsense approach to life. People tended to keep their distance from him, unsure how to handle the rough edges he wore so comfortably.
But Keith knew him differently. He had learned, over time, to look past the hard exterior, to see beyond the guarded silence. He understood what others didn't: that beneath the surface, Jason had a soft corner, a place in his heart he kept reserved for those who mattered most—his family. It wasn't something Jason offered freely, and certainly not to anyone outside of his immediate circle. But Keith had witnessed it, the rare moments when Jason's eyes softened, when the protective nature that ran deep within him emerged.
There was a certain tenderness Jason reserved for his younger brothers, a vulnerability he never showed to the rest of the world. Keith had seen it in the way Jason's voice would soften when their names were mentioned, in the almost imperceptible smile that tugged at his lips when he spoke of them. It was the kind of love that didn't need to be spoken aloud, the kind that ran deeper than any gesture or declaration. And Keith, despite the rough treatment he sometimes endured from Jason, understood it.
After a few hours the soccer match began between two teams with two royal brothers as their leaders_ Keith and Jason. Since Keith had always been more drawn to the Needies around him, his team consisted mostly of their kids, while Jason's team not only consisted of boys a little above the Keith's age, but also they were mostly some Nobles' kids invited by Jason, especially to the Mansion of Janes for playing soccer match on Keith's request to his elder brother.
During the match, Jason's team was obviously playing at great pace, not only because Jason was older than members of Keith's team, but also Jason had a super admiration for sports, which Keith somehow lacked. Maybe, Keith requested this match just to strengthen his bonding with his brother, because sometimes, he really wanted to be close to him, because he believed that he and his brother were alike in terms of their overall existence as both of them were quite difficult to understand by people around them. That's how Keith always felt… Until that day, he felt something truly dark… Something imperceptible… Mysteriously evil… when one of the boys from the Needies fell onto the ground and got his foot wounded which immediately activated Jason's hunting instincts as he looked at his fresh oozing blood…