Alexander invited Riko to come with him.
"Come… with me," he said briefly. "I'll make your life comfortable." His voice sounded flat, but his attitude carried a sense of coercion, making the atmosphere between them feel oppressive.
Confusion overwhelmed Riko as he slowly stepped backward, trying to keep his distance. He looked at Alexander with a pale face, his breathing starting to grow uneven.
"What do you want from me?" he asked. Fear was clearly reflected in his eyes.
Alexander didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward and suddenly grabbed Riko's hand roughly. Riko flinched, his body stiffening as he tried to pull away from the grip.
"For someone your age, you talk too much."
Cornered, Riko struck Alexander's hand with all his strength. Alexander groaned softly from the unexpected pain, but irritation quickly replaced the surprise on his face.
"That was quite painful,"
Alexander said coldly. Without hesitation, he threw a punch at Riko's head from the left. Riko lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Riko cried quietly, his body no longer able to move. His vision blurred until he finally lost consciousness. Alexander then grabbed Riko's leg and dragged him away, leaving the place behind.
—
"Where am I…?"
Riko woke up in an empty room. Inside, there was only one bed and one table. He was lying on a white mattress with a cold iron frame.
He scratched his head in confusion, trying to recall what had happened earlier.
"Ah… I passed out after being hit by that guy. And where am I now?" he muttered, his breathing still uneven.
He stood up and walked toward the door while observing the room again. His steps were hesitant, as if worried something would happen if he moved too far.
"Huh… it's not locked…"
Riko held the doorknob and realized it wasn't locked. He opened it. When the door swung open, he saw only a silent corridor with several other rooms identical to the one he had woken up in.
"It's so empty."
Riko looked left and right but found nothing.
"I have to get out of here."
He walked straight down the corridor until he finally heard many voices shouting, voices of children his age.
"Sounds like a commotion," he said softly, his steps slowing with caution.
He approached the source of the noise and saw a large three-story room. The place was crowded with people standing around, watching something. In the center of the room was a fighting arena. Riko froze when he realized children his age were being forced to fight.
"This must be why Alexander brought me here."
Fear consumed him. He immediately turned around and ran away since no one had noticed his presence.
"This has to be a dream…!!!"
His fear escalated, his mind filled with countless possibilities mixing together.
"This has to be a dream…!!"
At that moment, Riko stopped the memory and returned to the present. He didn't want to continue remembering something he hated.
–
Back to the present.
On the second floor, Riko lay sprawled on the ground, surrounded by seven people taking turns striking his body. Punches, kicks, and shoves came from every direction without pause.
"This reminds me of my childhood…"
His body shook, sliding across the cold floor while the sounds of flesh hitting flesh and heavy breathing filled the room.
Every punch that landed felt like reopening old wounds that had never truly healed.
"Because when I was little, I was beaten like this all the time… it's bringing back those memories."
His voice was faint, nearly drowned out by the violence. His vision flickered, but behind it, old memories surfaced one by one. The pain he once swallowed alone now returned, merging with the pain he was feeling now.
Slowly, Riko planted his palm on the floor and began to rise. His large body lifted, his back straightening again. The seven people in front of him instinctively stepped back half a step.
"What is this… he looks different!!"
"What's different, idiot? To me he's still just a punching bag…!"
Everyone reacted differently.
"I remember everything… that childhood… I ran from my past until I forgot my purpose…"
Riko's eyes changed. They were no longer the eyes of someone merely enduring, but of someone who had finally realized his direction in life.
Without warning, Riko swung his right hand forward. The strike didn't look excessive, but the impact was brutal.
All seven of them were thrown several meters backward, their bodies slamming into the floor with heavy thuds. The room suddenly fell silent, shock hanging in the air.
Riko slowly moved his neck until a clear cracking sound echoed.
"When I think about it, my childhood was disgusting… until I met him (Rio). I will continue my goal."
His breathing was heavy, chest rising and falling, but his feet stood firmly on the ground, as if nothing could shake him now. Riko held his chest. Something felt different.
"My body… is hot…"
His spirit reignited.
But they hadn't given up. The seven people stood up again and charged together, punches raining down on Riko endlessly.
Riko endured everything, and at that moment he realized something was different. The punches felt dull, like hitting a thick wall. His skin and muscles felt much denser, almost unshakable.
"What is this!!"
Riko was shocked in the middle of the assault. On the other side, his attackers' faces began to fill with panic.
"Why is he so strong?" one of them said, his voice trembling.
On the school rooftop, the evening wind blew gently across the wide open concrete surface. Arya stood calmly, facing Kariel and Fariel, who stood side by side in front of him.
The distance between them wasn't far, close enough to read each other's breathing. The slanting sun stretched their shadows long, creating a heavy tension in the air.
"Why are you just standing there? When does this start?"
Arya said, challenging them. Both his hands were raised in front of his chest, elbows slightly bent, palms open toward his opponents. The stance looked relaxed, yet dangerous, like calm water before it sweeps everything away.
"You're noisy."
Kariel said flatly.
Kariel and Fariel glanced at each other for a split second, then stepped forward together, their movements synchronized as if practiced hundreds of times.
Kariel threw a left hook while Fariel kicked from the right almost simultaneously. Arya reacted instantly, his feet sliding back with a small leap, his body twisting slightly to avoid both attacks.
As the twins lost momentum and their feet touched the ground again, Arya stepped into their range instead.
In one smooth sequence, Arya used their own force.
His hands made contact, pulling and rotating both Kariel and Fariel at the same time. Before they realized it, their balance was lifted.
Their bodies flew through the air along the same trajectory, as if thrown by an invisible current. It wasn't a rough throw, but a clean slam that cut off their control.
"What is this…"
Fariel whispered.
The words came out before his body even touched the ground, confusion clear on his face.
Before they fully landed, Arya stepped forward and struck both of their stomachs almost simultaneously.
The blows hit their core, sending Kariel and Fariel flying away before crashing hard onto the rooftop.
Arya stood upright again.
"What… was that all?"
His eyes closed, a smile forming on his lips.
Arya exhaled slowly, disappointment clear in his gaze. His shoulders lowered slightly. The fight hadn't satisfied him.
But before he could relax, Fariel was already back on his feet, returning to a fighting stance without hesitation.
"Is this all? Maybe I'll die of bore—"
Arya's sentence wasn't even finished when Fariel leaped high, his body descending at a sharp angle.
His heel came down toward Arya's head, stopping against Arya's left shoulder with solid resistance.
Arya looked slightly surprised, then smiled faintly.
"You're fast."
His hand immediately grabbed Fariel's leg. With a hip rotation and precise pull, Arya slammed Fariel using the same technique as before.
But this time Fariel was ready…