Briarholt was a cluster of old houses, mostly rusted with soot-black chimneys, all stitched together. In its own way, the town was usually quiet. But whenever the baron's three sons, Ish, Voyl, and Bretz roamed around, the quiet broke into cruel laughter and the thud of fists. And for some reason, they always picked on Edrei.
On his way home from scavenging old gears and scrap metals from the junkyard, the young nobles blocked his path in the alley. For no reason, and probably just to make fun of him, the nobles asked him to hand over the sack. Normally, he would do whatever they demanded just to avoid trouble. But this time was different. He'd found gears that were almost intact, along with rare metals his uncle could use in the mechanic shop. And so he stood his ground, clutching the sack.
That only earned him a round of mocking laughter and the first punch knocked him sideways. The taste of iron seeped between his teeth. He staggered, then the next blow drove him down to the ground, followed by a barrage of kicks.
They kicked him again and again, his body reeling from each impact until the voices of his assailants turned into muffled sounds.
The blows stopped, the sound of their jeers faded as the young nobles left him lying helpless on the ground.
Edrei sat up, his body throbbing. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, then shook his head, trying to push away the dizziness.
One day I will get my revenge, he thought, then quickly dismissed it. What was I thinking? he whispered.
His uncle, Orren, had raised him well, but who could blame him for thoughts like these? Why is this world so cruel? his thoughts continued to wander. And it seems even more cruel to those who live fairly. Those who work hard daily just for a single meal, while the rich don't even need to do a thing—get whatever they want, and still not content, use the likes of us as if we were merely things to toy around.
I wish I were stronger. Strong enough to finally stand up to them and teach them a lesson. But then he thought, even if I beat them, it would only end with me in a cell.
He pushed the thoughts away, his eyes flickered to the ground, and saw that the gears and metals were scattered on the ground. He reached out and grabbed the pieces back to the sack one by one, carefully checking each to see if they weren't damaged. Although literally, some of them were already broken when he took them from the junkyard, but he needed to make sure they hadn't gotten worse. His uncle would still find use for them in his little mechanic shop.
Edrei stood carrying the sack over his shoulder when his eyes caught on something—a small piece of metal glinting at the far end of the alley. Did it roll that far when I was beaten?
He walked toward it, he bent to pick it up, then paused when his fingers were just inches from the metal. He knew well all the objects he found from the junkyard, and that one was not among them. The metal was smooth, gleaming with the dim sunlight through the alley. Did the nobles drop this?
As soon as his fingers brushed the edge of the metal, a bright exploding light washed over him, throwing him to the ground. His other hand clutching the hand that touched the metal as it shook from an energy surging inside him. His body twisted as the energy flowed all throughout his body, then he convulsed.
As the energy surged inside, images flashed through his mind, too fast for him to grasp. Then the pressure mounted. Unbearable, he screamed, then everything went dark as his body limped unconscious.
Edrei's eyes snapped open. He blinked, staring at the gray sky.
He sat up and found the sack of scraps beside him, but the small metal was gone. He grabbed the sack and stood. Crap, what happened? I've been unconscious for hours. Uncle Orren might be waiting for me. Then he started on his way home.
He reached their house, quietly opened the door, and peered his head in, checking their small living room and making sure his uncle was not around. He didn't want him seeing the bruises on his face again, the third week in a row.
The living room was too quiet; Uncle Orren might have dozed off, he thought. He stepped inside with slow, careful steps, holding the sack carefully, making sure the gears and tools won't rattle inside.
He set the sack down very slowly, making sure to avoid the slightest sound, when shouts rang from the other side of the room.
"Happy birthday, Edrei!"
Edrei turned around, startled; their greetings barely registered. In the doorway was Uncle Orren holding a small cupcake with a single candle atop it. Beside him were Reena and Pin, his cousins. Their cheerful expressions fade quickly, though, seeing the bruises on his face.
"Man…!" Pin exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.
"Those three noble idiots beat you again?" Orren said, shaking his head.
Edrei rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm fine."
"Fine?" Reena smirked. "You look like you had a brawl with a brick wall."
"Well, still… Happy birthday?" she continued, as Reena and Pin gave Edrei a backslapping hug.
"Well, aside from this cupcake, I have something for you," Orren said gladly, handing him the cupcake, then raised a finger. "Wait for a second."
The old man went back to the other room and returned holding something wrapped in a piece of white cloth, tied with a strip of brown leather. He handed it to Edrei with a smile.
Edrei untied the leather strip and unfolded the cloth to reveal a pair of boots. His eyes brightened up, and smiled, "Uncle, you don't have to… this might have cost you…"
Orren waved his hands dismissively, "No, no, no, you deserve that. Remember the old compressor you brought home last week? I was able to restore it, and sold it at a decent price."
"Thank you, Uncle Orren," Edrei said, looking at the boots, a smile still lingering on his lips.
They spent the rest of the afternoon in a humble celebration in that small living room, trading small stories, until night came.
Edrei lay on his bed, eyes staring at the old ceiling as he tried to make sense of what had happened when he touched the metal in the alley. What was that surge of energy? What were those flashes of images? And why did the metal disappear?
He didn't know how long he'd been up until sleep took over.
Edrei woke up from a ray of light slipping through the small slit in the curtains. His body felt different, lighter, as if every trace of the beating had been rinsed away, and the burden of each waking day had lifted.
He stood up, looked at the small mirror hanging on the wall. He frowned, seeing that his bruises had faded to a pale violet; the cuts and the swelling were all gone.
This is weird, he muttered to himself.
Then he felt a strange tug.
His heart was beating faster, and something inside him wanted to pull him outside of the house. And though he didn't totally understand what it was, he quickly got out of their house towards the familiar street.
Through the alleys he ran, chasing that pull, until he turned into a bend and froze. The three noble bullies were there. Ish, the eldest, had both hands on the wall, pinning a girl in place. And it wasn't just anyone. It was Reena.
"Let her go, Ish!" Edrei shouted, his voice a mix of fear and dismay.
The three nobles turned their heads towards him.
"Oh! The commoner. Didn't you get enough of your beating yesterday?" Bretz, the youngest, sneered.
"Pick on me if you want, but leave her alone," Edrei said.
"Oh yeah?" Ish replied, turning towards him and letting Reena go. She slowly backed away from the three, her eyes looking worriedly at Edrei.
"Leave this to me, brother," Bretz said, cracking his knuckles as he stepped forward.
"So you're really standing up to us now, huh?" he taunted, stopping a foot away from Edrei.
Then Bretz threw a punch.
Edrei flinched, expecting the blow, but then found it weird that Bretz was moving slowly.
He frowned.
He could see Bretz's hand moving slowly, aiming for his face.
For a moment, he thought that the bully was making fun of him, not until he caught sight of Reena.
Her worried eyes looking straight at him, a sweat sliding slowly from her brow, and her black hair seemed floating in the air.
Edrei caught Bretz's fist; his hand recoiled and unintentionally squeezed. It felt like Bretz's fist was as soft as an infant's hand.
Bretz's face contorted, his already ugly features twisting into something even worse, followed by a loud wail, his voice piercing the narrow alley like the cry of a little girl with a missing doll.
Edrei released his grip, his gaze shifting into his open palm, wondering at his sudden speed and strength, as Bretz collapsed on the ground, twisting in pain and clutching his other hand.
Voyl stepped forward, "Weakling! What's the matter with you?" he remarked, looking down at his younger brother who was lying on the floor. He turned towards Edrei who was still staring at his hand.
"Hey, commoner!" he barked, swinging a blow.
Edrei looked up and angled his body aside, Voyl's fist passing just inches away from his chest.
Then Edrei closed his fist and threw a punch.
His knuckles sunk deep into Voyl's cheek, lips jutting from the impact as a tooth flew free. Voyl's body collapsed instantly onto the pavement, unmoving.
Edrei shifted his gaze to the last noble standing—Ish.
The eldest noble's eyes widened, clearly shaken, after watching his brothers go down in seconds.
He pulled a small knife, pointing it at Edrei, hands visibly shaking. "Don't you… don't… you bastard!"
Then Ish's eyes flickered toward Reena. In that instant, Edrei felt the killing intent. He lunged in a matter of a second, grabbing Ish by the hand with a knife, and hurled him across the alley. Ish rolled violently on the ground, dust flying all over him as he tumbled.
Edrei looked at Reena who was still frozen. "Are you alright?"
She nodded, eyes wide with shock. "How in the world did you do that?"
Edrei shook his head, then glanced at the three nobles sprawled on the ground.