1 | The Beginning of the End
Ah, childhood. A time of innocence, joy, and carefree laughter.
Or so I've heard.
Mine? Well… let's just say it was a little different.
See, I didn't exactly start life the way most people do. No warm embrace, no proud parents shedding tears of joy. Nope. Instead, I was tossed away like last night's leftovers.
Abandoned. Left to die.
Great way to enter the world, right?
But here's where fate decided to spice things up. Because, instead of starving to death in some back alley, I was found by a boy—a stranger by blood, but family by choice. My brother. The only person who ever truly mattered.
He gave me a home. A name. A reason to exist.
We weren't rich. Far from it. But we made it work.
Then, of course, life did what life does best—it took everything away.
---
2 | The Night Everything Went to Hell
I was eleven when it happened.
It started like any other evening. My brother was in the kitchen, probably thinking about how to stretch our last few meals, and I was… well, being a kid.
Then came the knock.
A simple, innocent knock on the door. Nothing special.
Except it was.
I remember the way my brother's face changed. One second, he was normal—calm, composed. The next? His expression turned to stone.
He hesitated before opening it.
That should have been my first clue.
The second clue? His voice.
"Go to your room," he said.
That alone wasn't unusual. But the way he said it? Low, urgent—like he knew something bad was coming.
"Why?" I asked.
"Just do it." His voice cracked.
That should have been my third clue.
But, being the curious idiot I was, I didn't listen. Not really.
I stepped into my room… but I didn't close the door.
And I listened.
At first, it was just voices.
Then, voices turned to shouting.
Then—BANG.
The kind of sound that shatters your entire world.
I ran out.
I saw—
And that was the moment my childhood ended.
A metal bat.
Covered in blood.
My brother—on the ground. His head—split open, bleeding.
And the men standing over him?
Laughing.
They looked at me.
And they smiled.
I'd like to say I fought back. That I screamed, kicked, clawed—anything.
But the truth?
I froze.
One of them shoved me, hard. My head hit the floor. Everything blurred, my vision twisting into a dark tunnel.
The last thing I remember before blacking out?
Their laughter.
You'd think the worst part of all this was the moment I lost my brother.
But no.
The worst part came after.
See, when I woke up, I wasn't in some warm, comforting hospital bed. I wasn't surrounded by kind faces offering condolences.
I was alone.
The smell of iron filled my nose.
My brother's body? Still there.
His blood? Still on the floor.
And me? Still existing.
I should have cried. Screamed.
But instead, I just… stared.
I don't know how long I stood there before someone finally found me.
They took my brother's body.
And left me behind.
I followed the ambulance, my legs burning, my mind blank.
At the hospital, people stared. Whispered.
Someone called for a stretcher.
I ignored them.
I had one goal—one desperate, pathetic hope. That maybe, just maybe, he was still alive.
Spoiler alert: He wasn't.
And just like that, I had nothing.
Which brings us to the funeral.
Now, you'd think people would show some real grief, right? That they'd mourn, cry, talk about how much he meant to them?
Yeah, no.
Instead, I got this:
> "Well, it was expected. He was drowning in debt. Useless. Pathetic life, pathetic end."
They said that. About my brother.
At his own funeral.
And do you know what I did? Did I scream? Did I punch them? Did I cause a scene?
No.
I smiled.
Yup.
I smiled.
Not because I was happy. Not because I had some master plan.
But because, in that moment, I realized something:
They were all so damn pathetic.
Their grief? Fake. Their words? Hollow. Their pity? Meaningless.
And me? I felt… nothing.
Just an empty, gnawing void.
And soon, I would understand why.
After the funeral, I had nowhere to go. No home, no food, no future.
So, what did I do?
I wandered.
For hours. Maybe days.
Then, just when I thought life couldn't get any worse…
I ran into three thugs in a dark alleyway.
> "Look what we have here," one sneered.
Another chuckled. "Think he's worth selling?"
Oh, great. Human trafficking. Just what I needed.
Now, most kids my age would have been terrified. But me?
I was too hungry to care.
I was barely standing, but instinct took over. My eyes darted around, searching for anything useful.
My fingers closed around a rock.
It wasn't much.
But it was enough.
The leader took a step closer.
Mistake.
I tightened my grip, took aim—
And hurled the rock straight at his groin.
Now, I want you to take a moment.
Really imagine the pain.
Go ahead. I'll wait.
…
Alright, moving on.
The guy collapsed instantly, clutching his 'family jewels' like his life depended on it.
The second thug? Too shocked to react.
That was mistake number two.
I lunged, grabbing the fallen knife.
But the third thug was faster.
CRACK.
My skull hit the ground.
Pain exploded in my head. My vision blurred.
Then—a sharp, burning sensation in my stomach.
I gasped. Blood dripped from my lips.
The thug smirked, convinced I was done. He crouched, reaching for my pockets.
That was mistake number three.
I scooped up a handful of dirt and blood—
And flung it into his eyes.
Blinded, he swung wildly.
I didn't wait.
I grabbed the knife—
And stabbed.
Straight into his skull.
The third thug—the only one left standing—froze.
He stared at me. At the blood. At his dead friend.
And he ran.
Smart.
But not smart enough.
I took a deep breath, steadied my aim—
And threw the knife.
It spun through the air before embedding itself deep in his liver.
He gasped, stumbled, fell.
And just like that, it was over.
I stood there for a moment, watching the blood pool around me.
Then, finally, my body gave out.
I collapsed.
What Did I Feel?
Regret?
No.
Fear?
No.
Guilt?
No.
Nothing. I felt absolutely nothing.
Not when I picked up that knife. Not when I stabbed them. Not when I watched their bodies hit the ground.
There was no satisfaction. No horror.
Only an overwhelming emptiness.
The innocent child who once lived in this body?
He was gone.
All that remained was… me.
And this was just the beginning.
2 | When I Woke Up, I Was Alone
A disgusting smell of chemicals yanked me out of unconsciousness.
My eyes refused to open, but I could still hear. I could feel.
Which, honestly? Not a great sign.
It took me a moment to process the situation. My body wasn't responding, but my brain was still online. And, to make things even weirder—
I could hear voices.
In my head.
At first, I figured, "Great. I finally lost it. Took longer than expected."
But then, one of the voices spoke directly to me.
> "Don't worry. You are not injured anymore."
Gentle, firm. Like some kind of wise mentor.
Naturally, I responded with the usual level of grace and composure:
> "W-Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my head?!"
The voice answered calmly.
> "I'm Asher. And I am you."
…Okay.
That's concerning.
Before I could panic, a second voice cut in. This one? Colder. Sharper. Like steel grinding against ice.
> "Stop babying him, Asher. He's not a child."
> "Oh, come on," Asher sighed. "He just went through a traumatic event. It's only natural to be worried."
> "Worried? You're both pathetic. He needs to wake up."
Then, just as I was starting to wrap my head around things—
A third voice joined in.
This one was different. Playful. Amused. Like a clown with a child's mind but an adult's voice.
> "Ooooh, this is getting interesting! Alright, place your bets, boys!"
> "Shut up, Riven," the cold voice snapped.
> "Aw, come on! It was just getting fun! Solace, let the kid breathe. Or—wait. He can't even move yet! That's hilarious!"
They were arguing.
Inside my head.
Yeah. Definitely losing my mind.
At that point, I did the only logical thing—I wished I could pass out again.
Unfortunately, my body had other plans.
Suddenly, I felt my lips move. My voice came out hoarse and dry.
> "Finally… I can speak."
The cold voice—Solace, apparently—responded immediately.
> "Silence."
Well, alright then. Rude.
I focused, trying to figure out how to communicate with them. Before I could even ask, the playful one—Riven—chimed in again.
> "Silly! We can hear your thoughts!"
…Great. Privacy is officially dead.
Fine. If I couldn't ignore them, I might as well get some answers.
> "Alright. What's going on? Who are you guys?"
Solace cut straight to the point.
> "Enough of that. We need to get out of here first."
And, you know what? He had a point.
Because when I finally managed to open my eyes…
I realized I was lying on a stretcher.
And in front of me?
A hunched-over man, working on something that definitely wasn't legal.
And that's when it hit me.
I was a guinea pig.
Oh, fantastic. One of those thugs must've survived—and decided to sell me off to this guy.
Suspicious-looking… alchemist? Scientist? Butcher?
Whatever he was, I was pretty sure I didn't want to be on his operating table.
Solace's voice snapped me back to reality.
> "You done?"
> "Mind explaining the situation?" I asked.
> "We'll talk about us later," Solace said. "Right now, focus on getting out."
Asher chimed in.
> "Whatever you're thinking is correct. You were sold. And he's planning to butcher and experiment on you."
I took a deep breath.
> "So… what's the plan?"
And just like that—my life got even more complicated.
1 | Bad News First? Or Worse News First?
Alright, kid, we've got good news and bad news. What do you want first?
Now, any reasonable person would choose good news first, right? You know, ease into the inevitable horror show.
But me? Well, after everything that's happened, my definition of 'good' was already pretty twisted.
So I played along.
"If I'm gonna hear something, it better be something good."
The calm voice spoke first. "For us to awaken, we had to consume some sort of energy… and you had none."
Okay. Off to a fantastic start.
"But your body sure did. We absorbed your potential over eleven years—every ounce of growth, every bit of strength, every drop of latent power. And then, when you saw your brother die… that negative energy? That was enough to awaken two guys who weren't exactly eager to wake up."
That made me pause.
"Two guys?"
"Let's leave them alone for now," the voice continued, dismissing my question like it was a minor footnote. "The point is, we can now release all of your potential back."
I frowned. "Explain it like you're explaining to a child."
The calm voice chuckled. "Alright. First, you'
re about to get taller. A lot taller. Possibly taller than most adults, since we weren't just absorbing your potential—we were amplifying it."
Huh. That didn't sound too bad.
"Second," he continued, "your strength, speed, and endurance will all increase to match an average adult's. Maybe a little more, depending on how your body adapts."
I nodded slowly. "Alright… now hit me with the bad news."
A new voice—playful, almost excited—spoke up.
"Ooooh, lemme do this part. It's gonna hurt."
"How bad?"
"Hurt like hell."