They took the cash from the boy's thin hands before giving him a light slap. As the bullies walked away, he adjusted his glasses and dusted off his uniform. Their laughters faded in the distance while the other students in the hallway turned a blind eye to what had just happened.
Nothing was left. They took the bus fare he was supposed to use to get home, too. But maybe walking home was better than being dragged around by the hair for everyone to laugh at. He'd grown tired of that by now.
Without giving it much thought, he walked away. Some gloated over his pitiful existence, while others were too terrified of being caught up with the mess to even take a look at him. What these cowards thought didn't matter to him. Over all, nothing changed. And he doubted something ever will.
***
The dim lamp overhead illuminated the dining table. Across from him, two adults with darkened expressions glared.
"What the hell is this?" his mother growled, shoving the report card in front the boy.
His eyes remained glued to the table surface, desiring nothing but to fly away from this cursed home.
"It's even lower than last year. Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Just look at your brother. He's got lot's of awards and achievements while you're sitting there being a disappointment! And you wonder why we always favor him over you?"
They spoke more rubbish through out dinner, but it all just went over his head. After all, he'd long stopped caring about what his parents had to say. He'd also stopped considering them his family.
***
"I'm sorry. I already have a boyfriend."
For a few seconds, he stared at his childhood friend. The flower in his hands dropped to the ground.
"W-What?" he muttered.
Despite being a failure that he was, one girl sticked with him and talked to him. Since they were little, they had been close and had each other's backs.
Only lately, the two of them had had less time to spend with each other. Maybe she was too busy with school and her friends, but he was sure that their bond didn't disappear.
Perhaps, the growing loneliness in his heart became too heavy to bear due to the circumstances he had in the past several months. He himself didn't know what pushed him to suddenly confess to her.
He'd thought that they would eventually fall in love.
The girl put a hand on his shoulder. With an unreadable expression on her face, she said:
"Seriously though, did you actually think I'd have romantic feelings for you?"
He stared at her, not knowing how to respond. A sharp pain pierced his heart but his face remained blank.
The girl continued:
"Why don't you fix your life first before even thinking about romance? No one will date you if you stay like that."
***
The office door closed behind him as he looked at a man in a suit seated at the desk.
"You're fired."
His eyes widened, gripping the files in his hands tightly.
"I'm sorry?"
The man leaned into the desk and looked him in the eye with zero emotion.
"You're fired. Get out of my office."
"But why? I've been working here for years. You can't just fire me like that!"
After managing to push through highschool, he landed a job in a shady company that overworked him to insanity. But since he didn't have many options, he thought: 'I'll just bear with it.'
The man in the suit rolled his eyes and then replied.
"I don't owe your ass an explanation, but sure, I'll tell you. It's because we don't need you. You're a total waste of space. Now, if you understand that, get the hell out of my sight."
***
His footsteps fell quietly on the concrete pavement. The streets were silent as the starless night swallowed the earth.
He was now on his way home after failing yet another job interview.
In the middle of thinking how the hell he was gonna pay his rent, or when or where he was gonna get his next meal, a car engine tore through the silence behind him. He waited for it to pass, but to his annoyance, it stopped right beside him.
"Hey, look who it is," an eerily familiar voice intoned with laughter.
"It's the midget."
Through the lowered window of the expensive car, he looked at the men inside grinning at him. He slowly was able to recognize who they were—the people who made his life miserable through highschool.
"How are you now, buddy?"
Beside the man, a familiar woman sat in the passenger seat. Even though the clothes she wore were ones that he'd never imagined her to wear, and the make up on her face almost made it impossible to recognize her, the presence she had and her beautiful eyes were easily unforgettable. It was his childhood friend. His first love.
'Huh?'
Laughing at his pitiful existence, the girl didn't even bother looking at him.
"Didn't expect to see you here." the man stated, chuckling lightly.
The man in the car was the leader of the group that bullied him. Everyday, since crossing paths with these devils, his life became a living hell.
It all started when he pointed out the unfair treatment of the teachers and school faculty towards the students. They seemed to be favoring these bastards just because they were related to the school's major shareholders. He would have let it slide and turned a blind eye to it, but the corruption was just too disgusting to ignore. These rascals would harass female students, cheat on exams, and the teachers wouldn't dare to say a thing.
By standing up to them, he'd thought that some people, the majority at least, would side with him and point out the corruption going on.
But people were more cowardly and pathetic than he'd expected.
He was left fighting alone, and eventually, he became the number one target of bullying in the entire school. He was humiliated in a million different ways, physically abused, robbed, but no one dared to go against the most powerful students in the school.
'Utter bullshit.'
It had reached a point where he stopped going to school for months, and his grades plummeted. His life was ruined.
"Why are you walking here all alone? Want me to give you a ride? Where are you going?"
The man wore an innocent smile. An inviting, charismatic glow that could fool anyone into thinking he was the nicest guy in the planet.
In the end, this vile son of a bitch got everything he wanted. Meanwhile, he was at the bottom of the barrel.
The world was so unfair. For years, he'd been so frustrated that he could die.
Who could he blame for this? What can he do about it? Nothing. All he, and everyone on earth could do was to bend over and take the fucking this world had to offer.
With a racing heart and clouded mind, he walked up to the car and spat on the man's face.
"What the fuck?!"
The man hurriedly opened the door and got out, only to punch him in the face.
"You wanna die?!"
While looking at the tall, muscular man, one weird thought crossed his mind.
'If, by some miracle, I gained power beyond anyone's comprehension, I would correct this world by force. If this world is unfair, I'll bend and break it until justice is above all. Until no one has to put up with guys like you's bullshit.'
Surprisingly, he barely felt anything from the man's punch. He clenched his fist and all of the accumulated rage seemed to have burst out in a single punch which sent the man tumbling to the ground.
"Ayo! Kill this mother fucker!"
More men got out of the car. He didn't feel any fear this time. Even when they carried clubs and knives.
The bitch in the car was screaming.
'Shut the fuck up.'
The pain didn't even register. He just slowly lost his consciousness as his bones were mercilessly broken.
That night, he resigned to his fate. He never got to satisfy himself with justice, but at least, it will all be over.
He died.
***
Warmth enveloped his whole being. His senses felt dull, almost nonexistent, but the warmth replacing the sharp cold was surreal. He couldn't tell if it was comforting or frightening.
Slowly, his vision became sharper, and sounds began to fill his ears. But what he saw made no sense to him.
Tall trees surrounded the clearing under the bright blue sky. Aside from the singing birds and the wind's gentle whisper, there wasn't any noise around.
The sunlight felt warm and the air fresh. His surroundings painted what seemed like long-lost innocence and peace. The vibrant green grass swayed to the gentle breeze, the tree's thick leaves provided a cool shade, giving him an unexplainable comfort he had not felt in forever.
He felt like crying at that moment.
'I died, didn't I? This must be heaven.'
There was nothing in his life that he would say worth getting to heaven for. He didn't even think gods and heaven were real. But maybe this was the compensation for the hellish life he'd lived. It had to be.
Out of the blue, a faint voice of a woman resounded in the distance. Beyond the trees.
"Alsten!"
Moments later, he was able to see a woman walking towards him, pushing aside the overgrown bush in her way.
'An angel,' he immediately thought.
The approaching woman was simply the most beautiful person he'd ever laid his eyes on. Her almond-shaped, blue eyes were full of concern, giving it a seductive, fragile look as she stared at his. Her long, jet-black hair elegantly glided through the wind as she began to run, accelerating towards him.
He would have thought that she was definitely an angel if it weren't for the fact that she wore a light iron armor under her dark brown cloak. Her leather boots, curiously, didn't leave a trace on the ground.
He also couldn't help but notice the advanced-looking bow hanging on her back. She looked more like a hunter than an angel. A very beautiful one.
But more importantly...
'My name is not Alsten..'
It was then that he realized: he was wearing a set of armor himself. His hands and forearms were covered by shining sturdy metal that fit him perfectly. A sleek, silver chestplate protected his torso over a dark undersuit. From his waist hung a split coat that acted as a battle robe, layering over his dark pants and silver-reinforced boots.
Come to think of it, he felt... odd. Different. As if his body was not his own.
He looked over his sides and saw his own shoulder, wide and strong. Large, rounded shoulder plates sat atop each arm with silver plating shaped in a slightly angular, stylized manner.
And lastly, a long, blue cape elegantly cascaded down behind him, calmly swaying to the rhythm of the wind.
He was confused.
The woman stopped in front of him before speaking.
"You suddenly ran off from the group. What's the problem?"
Recalling the most previous events carefully, he was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to be in this place right now. The whole ordeal didn't make a bit of sense...
Was heaven supposed to look like this?
His gaze that were glued to his gauntlet-covered hands, rose to look at the woman who seemed just as lost as he was. He then spoke.
"Who... are you?"
Slowly, her eyes opened wide. She subconsciously took a few steps backwards, fear and shock crossing her face.
"And... where am I?"