The stars had adorned the night sky, and the dazzling light of the moon illuminated the city filled with the noise of cars, even though the time had already passed midnight.
And in one of the alleys of the large city, there was a narrow passage that many people passed by, but they quickly avoided it as soon as they saw what was there.
This was because of a group of five people who looked like gangsters standing at the end of the alley, surrounding one man.
"Hey, Raven, you haven't paid this month's installment yet."
The muscular man who stood in the middle of the group of five spoke to the man in front of them, the one they called Raven.
The man had jet-black hair that gleamed with a bluish shine under the surrounding lights.
He had dark violet eyes and sharp facial features, which made him look relatively handsome.
"Hahaha, forgive me, Marty, I'll pay it in the next two days. Things haven't been going well for me this month."
Raven laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
The muscular man called Marty also had a smile, but it seemed somewhat cold.
"And do you think I care about your circumstances? You must pay each installment on time, otherwise this will happen to you."
He turned his head toward his companions, who nodded and stepped forward.
"Wait, wait, I swear to you, Marty, I'll pay it after two days. I'll even add late interest."
Raven took several steps back, waving his hands. The men stopped and looked at Marty, waiting for his orders.
"Oh-ho, this sounds good. You really do know how to please me."
A bright smile appeared on Raven's face when he heard this, but it quickly faded as soon as he heard the second part.
"But, consider this a lesson so you won't be late again."
He signaled for them to continue, and they all surrounded Raven, who leaned against the wall, looking at them nervously.
"Haaaaa!"
And with that, the blows rained down on him from every direction.
The punches to his head made him dizzy, and the kicks to his stomach twisted it as if he were about to vomit.
Finally, they didn't leave him until they saw that he had already fainted, bleeding all over his body.
"I'll be back in two days, and if the money isn't ready by then, consider this your last day in this life."
And so, the five men left, walking away from the man's body, which seemed utterly broken.
Passersby saw him lying on the ground, but none approached to check on him or help him even a little, because they were afraid of getting involved in something that could bring them trouble.
And by Raven's misfortune, the rain began to fall on the city, soaking his entire body.
But by his good fortune as well, this rain that fell on his face woke him from the state of unconsciousness he was in.
"Cough! Cough!"
He opened his eyes suddenly and began to cough, spitting out the blood that had gathered in his throat.
The man raised his body with difficulty and leaned against the wall to rest a little.
He lifted his head upward, looking at the clouds that had now blocked the moonlight, while the rain fell on his face and washed away the blood.
And despite everything that had happened, a small smile formed on his face as he felt peace in that moment.
"Hahahahaha, man, that was dangerous—I really almost died."
He placed his hand over his mouth and began laughing loudly, almost like a madman.
There was a strange gleam in his violet eyes, a gleam that showed he had not yet lost hope, and that he still wanted to live.
"Phew! I need to find a way to pay off this damn debt quickly, or I'll be finished."
"Wouldn't it be better to just give up and die? After all, you have nothing in this world that makes you want to stay."
The smile disappeared from Raven's face the moment he heard that voice coming from nowhere, and he slowly closed his eyes.
"Shut up, I don't want to hear this nonsense."
"Yes, yes, you just want to run from reality and live in your pretty fantasy."
Raven opened his eyes, and in front of him was a man who looked exactly like him, standing on his feet and staring down at him with contempt.
"How disappointing you are."
The man's words came out cold and utterly indifferent, but Raven ignored them.
He began to lift his body from the ground with difficulty, his severe injuries weighing on him, and walked forward, strangely passing right through the man in front of him.
"You're not even real, so don't say these words."
"Yes, but I'm still you in the end, even if you don't want to accept it."
Raven dragged his tired body out of the alley, watching the people walking with umbrellas to keep from getting wet, and others running to get home quickly.
And although he looked utterly miserable, most people only gave him a single glance before continuing on their way.
Raven began walking along the sidewalk, looking around at the city and the different shops he passed.
Until something caught his attention, making him stop and look at the car parked in front of a café.
The car was black and looked extremely beautiful—and more importantly, it looked very expensive.
At that moment, an idea popped into Raven's mind.
'If I do this, I can pay the debt in full, and I'll even have some money left for myself.'
He swallowed nervously, thinking of the risks and what he might gain from stealing the car.
'I'll be dead in two days anyway. Even if I fail, nothing worse than death can happen to me.'
Finally, after only a few seconds, all hesitation left his heart, and he approached the driver's door.
He looked around first and saw that most people had disappeared from the street because of the rain, which made it easier for him.
He pulled out a rusty metal piece from his pocket, stuck it into the lock, and began fiddling with it to open the door.
And since he had done this dozens of times already, after a few tries he finally managed to open the door—but…
Wee-wee! Wee-wee!
The car started blaring loudly, but Raven didn't panic, as he had expected this.
He quickly opened the door, got inside, and began trying to start it by fiddling with the wires behind the ignition.
Finally, the car roared to life, the engine starting.
Vrooom! Vrooom!
He pressed the gas pedal quickly and escaped before anyone could arrive.
"Hahahaha, looks like I'll live a little longer."
The echoes of his loud laughter rang through the streets as the car sped away from the café.
But at the place where the car had been, there was a woman staring coldly at the vehicle disappearing into the distance.