"No!" screamed a 5-y.o child, witnessing firsthand as his parents were being murdered by a stranger. The killer wore a black mask, preventing the child from seeing his face.
"Mama! Papa!" The child wanted to get out of the car and go to his parents. But he was too afraid and could only cry while watching his father and mother being choked, beaten, having their hands and feet cut off, and their bodies sliced open. The child also witnessed how their internal organs were forcibly removed from their bodies.
The child's eyes grew red, tears streaming down his face, his heart aching as he watched his parents die horrifically before him. But the little child could do nothing; he could only harbor hatred in his heart. He observed every detail of how they killed and tortured his parents.
"I will avenge them and kill all of you!" screamed the boy named Aiden Viktor, swearing in his heart to avenge the murder of his parents.
"Mama! Papa!"
"I will take revenge; I will kill them!"
"AAARGH!"
The scream caused the 25-year-old man to open his eyes immediately. Yeah, Aiden Viktor, a man still lying in his bed, with sweat trickling down his forehead.
"Damn, that dream again." Aiden roughly wiped his face, calming his breath and momentarily soothing himself. The same dream, as usual. However, Aiden still felt afraid and traumatized whenever the dream came, as if reminding him of the guilt and vengeance he had carried all this time.
"My vengeance hasn't been fulfilled yet," Aiden muttered, clenching his fists. It had been roughly 20 years, but Aiden hadn't found out who killed his parents.
A knock on the door made Aiden neutralize his expression. He turned to look at the person who had just opened his bedroom door.
"Why?"
"Mr. Antonio is calling you," replied the man in all-black attire, who worked for Antonio.
"Hmm oke." Aiden answered briefly, then stood up from his seat. After washing his face, Aiden immediately went to meet Antonio.
Aiden stepped into Antonio's private room, entering with a flat expression and saying little. Aiden bowed briefly and said, "What's up, Daddy Antonio?"
The man in the maroon jacket smiled, looking at Aiden. "My son, how did you sleep? Was it restful?" he asked casually.
"Sure, what do you want?" Aiden asked, still expressionless.
Antonio stood up from his seat, walked toward Aiden with a crooked smile, patted Aiden's shoulder a few times, then said, "You are indeed my son, someone I can rely on. I was lucky to adopt you seven years ago; now I have the monster I wanted." Antonio laughed contentedly.
Meanwhile, Aiden remained silent. He had been Antonio's robot for the past seven years. Yeah, Aiden was Antonio's adopted son, and more accurately, Antonio's trusted robot? Aiden would do anything Antonio told him to do, even if it meant committing a sin.
"I should fulfill all your desires, Daddy." Aiden said something again, though he showed no expression at all. Aiden had lost the ability to express his feelings; one could say his emotions had vanished seven years ago.
"Good. Have you completed all the missions I assigned yesterday?"
"Of course. I kill the entire Alveric family without a trace, as you instructed," Aiden replied, still standing erect before Antonio.
Hearing Aiden's words, Antonio smiled broadly, patting Aiden's head gently and saying, "Good, trash must be destroyed, right?"
"I have a new mission for you," Antonio continued, tossing a brown envelope to Aiden.
Aiden quickly opened the envelope, which contained data and photos of a family. Aiden knew Antonio wanted him to kill them all or simply torture them.
"Capture them all, torture them in the punishment room so that man will agree to our deal" Antonio said with a sly smile, moving closer to Aiden and whispering, "Remember? Don't be useless trash, Aiden Viktor."
After saying that, Antonio left the room. Leaving Aiden still silent, he clenched his fist while staring at the data and photos in his hand.
"I'm not trash," Aiden said, as if intimidated by Antonio's words; he didn't want to be useless trash. Aiden's trauma resurfaced, his emotions suddenly peaking as he recalled his dark past.
Aiden immediately left the room to prove he wasn't trash and would do anything to make Antonio happy. Even if it meant killing or torturing people. That was Aiden's job now—a monster without feelings.
***
It didn't take long for Aiden and his subordinates to head to the target's address. Without wasting time, they quietly entered the house after confirming everyone was inside. As Aiden and his men entered, he saw the family celebrating their 7-year-old son's birthday.
Aiden paused for a moment, memories of his own birthday celebrations with his parents suddenly flooding his mind. It made him emotional, but he tried to control himself to ensure the mission went smoothly.
"Capture them all; kill them if they resist!" Aiden ordered.
Aiden's subordinates immediately arrested Mr. Bram, his wife, and his son, while Aiden remained silent in his place.
"Who are you? Why did you enter my house without permission?" Bram began to show resistance, hugging his wife and son while brandishing a knife he had just taken from a drawer.
Aiden glared at Bram sharply; such resistance would only waste his time. Aiden walked toward them, aiming his pistol at Bram's head without expression.
"Surrender or die here," Aiden said succinctly.
"Please don't kill my father and mother," said the 7-y.o boy.
That made Aiden feel a little moved, his memory returning to the day his parents were killed. Aiden couldn't control himself; he held his head to forget the incident.
Bram, seeing Aiden off guard, immediately pushed Aiden and injured his hand. The pistol fell from Aiden's hand, causing Aiden to snap back to reality and become emotional.
"Arghhh.. shit!"
Bang!
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the room. The silver bullet pierced Bram's chest, causing his wife and son to hysterically cry in place.
"Arrest them!" Aiden shouted in anger. His subordinates immediately took Bram and his wife away. However, Bram's son continued to resist.
"Murderer! You killed my father! You're evil!" The little boy cried hysterically.
Aiden remained silent, aiming his pistol at the little boy. Aiden's mind seemed to be torn between killing the troublesome child or letting him live. Aiden stared into the child's eyes, as if seeing himself from years ago.
"Trash must die!" Aiden said, about to fire the bullet from his pistol into the innocent child's head.