The rhythmic sound of rain echoed in his mind—loud, relentless, like a ticking clock against glass.
Axel's eyes snapped open, breath sharp, heart racing.
But there was no rain.
Just sunlight.
Warm morning light poured through the dorm window, casting soft golden rays across the room. Outside, birds chirped, and students passed by with laughter in the distance.
Another dream.
Another memory that refused to fade.
That night kept replaying in his head over and over, a brutal loop that haunted him without mercy. The blood, the tears, his father's final words… it was all still there, stitched into the seams of his soul.
But today wasn't about the past. Today was the start of something new.
His first day of college.
⸻
Axel pushed the thought aside and got dressed. He had chosen Computer Science as his course—full of nerds and tech geeks, which suited him perfectly. A place where no one would ask questions, where he could lie low and keep his fists clean. Just like his father wanted.
He stepped out of his dorm room. Just outside, a scrawny guy with glasses was struggling with a pile of books and boxes.
Axel walked past him.
Ignore it. Keep your head down.
A loud crash of books hitting the floor stopped him.
He sighed.
"Hey," Axel muttered, turning back to help.
"Oh! Thank you so much," the nerdy guy said with wide eyes and a smile. "You're strong! Are you from this school?"
Axel nodded without much expression.
"What course did you take?"
"Computer Science."
"Same here! I hope we're classmates! I'm Louise, by the way. What's your name?"
"Axel."
Louise kept talking as they walked together toward the school. Axel stayed mostly silent, hands in pockets, eyes taking in the campus—the peaceful atmosphere, the students rushing to class, laughter in the air.
But then he looked out the window and saw them.
A group of students leaning on the wall, smoking. One of them stared back at him with sharp, judging eyes. Axel looked away immediately.
Bad news.
⸻
Inside the classroom, they took their seats.
Moments later, the same group from outside walked in. The air shifted. Their presence dragged tension into the room like a storm cloud. One of them walked up to a seated student.
"That's my seat," the guy barked.
The student looked up, confused. "But I was here first."
"I said, that's my seat."
Before anyone could stop it, the student was grabbed and thrown to the floor. A flurry of punches followed.
Axel watched. He didn't flinch. He didn't care.
But the bully noticed.
He approached Axel and sat on his desk.
"You're lookin' at me funny."
Axel said nothing.
"You think you're tough?"
"Can you leave me alone?" Axel said quietly. "Class is about to start."
"What the fuck did you just say to me?"
Before things could escalate, the professor walked in. The bully gave him one last glare.
"You're lucky, freshman."
⸻
Break time.
Louise caught up to him.
"You going for lunch?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go together."
They ate quietly in the cafeteria. Louise kept talking about school, games, computers—Axel just listened. The group from earlier watched them from a distance.
⸻
The next day
Axel was heading to class when a nervous student approached him.
"Uh… your friend is in trouble."
"What?"
"They told me to get you. Said… your friend's getting beaten up."
Axel followed him to the back of the school. There, Louise was on the ground, bloodied and bruised.
"Well, look who it is," said the bully. "Look what you did to your friend."
"He's not my friend," Axel said coldly.
"Oh really?"
The fists kept flying.
"Stop," Axel said.
"Or what?"
"I said, stop."
"Make me."
Another punch was about to land, but Axel stepped in and caught the fist mid-air.
"You bastard!"
The bully swung again. Axel dodged.
Another punch. Another dodge.
Axel didn't even try hard. It was like dancing. The bully's rage was no match for the calm in Axel's eyes.
Then—bam—a solid punch to the face.
The bully went down.
"Get him!" he yelled.
The rest jumped in. Axel moved like lightning. They never stood a chance.
⸻
He brought Louise to the clinic.
"You shouldn't have done that," Louise groaned.
"Why not?"
"That was Cy's gang… their leader's gonna come after you."
⸻
That afternoon
As class ended, a group of students entered the room. Axel recognized the faces—not from their class.
At the front was Cy.
"So you're the guy who beat my crew?" he asked.
Axel stayed quiet.
Cy smirked. "Not much of a talker, huh?"
He threw a punch. Axel caught it.
Cy tried to yank his hand free, but Axel's grip was like steel. A kick came next—Axel dodged.
Cy was fast. Axel was faster.
Axel tripped him with a clean sweep. Cy hit the floor hard.
"Get him!" someone shouted.
Axel didn't even blink.
He moved through them like wind—every blow calculated, every dodge fluid. When it was just Cy left, Axel ended it with one blow to the gut.
Cy collapsed, coughing.
"Wait…" he rasped. "Who the hell are you?"
Axel picked up his bag and walked away.
⸻
Later that day
In different rooms across the campus, the word spread.
"Cy got beaten… by a freshman."
"Huh. I never liked that guy anyway."
"Computer Science has a strong hand now."
"This might actually be fun…"