This chapter includes graphic violence, bullying, physical assault, bloodshed, and scenes that may be emotionally distressing. Please read with caution.
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"Who's going to pay the price?"
They froze in pure terror.
Five men over 6'4", looking like giants, stood in front of them.
Noor was shocked just by looking at them.
(Who are these people? They are nothing more than giants. Looks like we got into trouble… we need to talk our way out of this.)
"I said, who's going to pay the price?" Roy snapped.
"Ahh, as you can see sir, we were talking—"
"It should be you," Suvro said.
"Kyaa—Suvro, what are you saying?" Ashraf whispered in terror.
"Huuu. You think you can beat me, junior? Well, you have guts." Roy cracked his knuckles.
"You don't scare me. If you're a state-level wrestling champion, I am also a Taekwondo champion." Suvro stepped forward.
"Suvro, what are you doing? Please stop!" Ashraf grabbed Suvro's shirt.
"Taekwondo? Does that even work?" Roy mocked.
"Wanna test that out?" Suvro stepped forward again.
"No. I shouldn't waste my time fighting kids like you." Roy turned around.
"Ha! You're scared, aren't you? Don't ever come back, you scared pussy cat!" Suvro yelled.
Roy and his group started walking without saying anything.
"Phew. That's a relief," Noor said.
"Suvro, let's go," Ashraf pulled him.
"Oh, I forgot one thing… Don't bother Ria from now on!" Suvro yelled.
"Wait… did you say—?" Roy stopped.
"I said don't bot—"
Smack!
Before Suvro could react, a punch landed on his face, sending him flying into the hallway wall.
Wham.
"Arrgh!"
"Suvro!" Ashraf yelled and ran to him.
Noor froze in place. He couldn't move.
Suvro got up, his legs shaking.
"You piece of shit…" Suvro gritted his teeth and unleashed a spinning 360° kick straight into Roy's face.
"Woah…" Noor and Ashraf were amazed.
"How was that?" Suvro smirked.
But Roy grabbed his leg and smashed Suvro straight into the ground.
Dwhump.
"Guhh—" Suvro coughed up blood.
"Suvro!" Ashraf screamed.
"How dare a little bitch like you stand before me? You think you're better than me?"
Stomp. Stomp.
"Urragh!"
Roy began stomping on him. Ashraf ran to save him.
"Let go of my bro!" Ashraf punched Roy's chest.
But it did nothing. Roy grabbed his hand and twisted it the other way—
Crack!
"Arrgggh!" Ashraf groaned in agony.
Roy threw them to the ground and began beating them with his group.
Punch. Stomp.
"Arrgh! Urgh—! Noor, run!"
Noor was still frozen. Even his mouth wouldn't move.
(Please move. Move. Please! They are beating my friends… MOVE! Move this shitty body… please move this shitty weak body… arrgh God please…) Noor screamed inside.
"Please stop! Please!" Umi came running.
Noor lost his senses. He could only hear her begging Roy to spare them.
"Noor! Noor!" Umi called him.
"Huh… huff… huff…"
Noor was breathing heavily. His body still shaking.
"Suvro needs help! He can't breathe—he's bleeding a lot! I don't know what to do!" Umi cried.
Noor ran to Suvro.
"Suvro! Suvro!"
His face was covered in bruises and cuts, bleeding from the nose and mouth, not responding.
"Suvro! Wake up!"
Cough. Cough.
"Urragh…" Suvro groaned.
"N-Noor… are you alright? They didn't hurt you… d-did they?"
Suvro grabbed Noor's hand, shaking.
"It's not the time to think about me! Where is Ashraf!?"
"S-sobs… he ran to get help…"
"Suvro, stay with me! Nothing will happen to you!" Noor yelled, crying.
(If I was a little stronger… I could get revenge on those bastards. How dare they.)
Ashraf came running.
"Suvro! I got help! We need to get him to the hospital now!"
Noor couldn't look Ashraf in the eye.
"Noor, help me!"
"Huh—okay!"
Some time later…
Noor sat in the hospital reception, his hands covered in Suvro's blood, shaking.
Sobs "If I was stronger… No. Ashraf was weak like me, but he still had the courage to fight back. I'm just a coward… a piece of shit who can't do anything except imagine…"
Tears fell into his palm.
"Noor," Ashraf called him.
"Suvro is out of danger now. His parents came from his hometown. Do you want to meet them?"
Noor nodded.
When they entered the Emergency Observation Room,
He heard Suvro's mother crying in agony.
"My child… what kind of monster did this to him? Who beats a person like that…?"
Sobs…
Noor couldn't walk further.
He turned away.
"Noor, wait—where are you going?" Ashraf asked.
"I will meet them later…"
They sat outside. Ashraf's hand was covered in bandages.
"Doctor said Suvro's ribs got broken. He got lucky… the broken ribs could've impaled his lung. His hand and leg bones are also fractured."
"What about your arm?" Noor asked with a shaky voice.
"Oh, it's fine. It just twisted in the wrong direction. Doctor said it'll take at least 2 months to recover." Ashraf scratched his head.
"Why did you punch Roy, even knowing you can't beat him?" Noor looked down.
"Well… I didn't think that much back then. When the people you care about are in danger, the only thing you can think about is saving them. Nothing else matters."
Noor stayed silent.
"Oh cheer up, it's not your fault that you couldn't do anything. And I'm glad you're safe. Suvro would be happy to hear that too. You should've run away—what if they grabbed you? We only got beaten because of our foolishness. It's already past 7 PM, you should be going home."
Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
"Oh—Suvro's mom is calling me. I'll be back. Wait here!" Ashraf ran off.
Noor began walking.
"It's all my fault… If I hadn't insisted on finding the letter's owner… If I hadn't met Ria… If I hadn't come to this school… None of this would have happened…"
Noor looked upward in agony. The sky was gloomy. Raindrops fell onto his face, mixing with his tears.
Some time later, it started raining.
Noor suddenly realized:
"Where am I? I've been walking for a while now… Looks like I've lost the way."
"It's… the port?"
Grrrrrmmmm—
Thunder roared.
Suddenly he saw people loading wooden boxes onto a truck. Their mouths were covered. There were around twenty of them.
Noor hid behind a truck, peeking from the side.
"What are these people…?"
Wait… the logo… it looks familiar.
TLIC (The Leonheart Industrial Corporation).
"It's the port Mr. Kevin owns… Does that mean these people are stealing things? I should inform him when I get home…"
"Mr. Rahim should be looking for me… I need to get out—"
"Hey you, what are you doing here?"
"Eeek!"
A masked guy caught him and dragged him to their leader.
"Sir, this boy saw everything. Should we kill him?"
Noor froze in terror.
"Goldspire Academy… looks like he's a rich parents' kid. Haha. We hit double jackpot. Tie him up—we'll see about him later."
Whoosh.
Drop.
Suddenly, one of them dropped to the ground.
"Hey, what happened—? Huh—boss, his neck—someone sliced hi—"
Fsssoosh.
Drops.
Blood sprayed from his neck as he fell.
"H-Huh? What happened!?"
All of them panicked in terror.
One by one, each of them fell—dying a bloody death.
Only the leader and Noor were left.
He pulled out a gun.
"Whoever you are, come out or he dies! I said COME OUT!"
Two figures stepped out of the shadows, wearing black hooded robes.
The guy shot at them—but the bullets went straight through, doing nothing.
Click. Click.
"Shit… I'm out of ammo…"
"Fine. If I can't kill you—then I'll kill this brat instead!"
He pulled out a knife.
Schk.
Shrrrsh—
"Arrrgh! My arm!"
Noor's eyes widened in terror watching the bloodbath.
One of them leaped forward and impaled the man's chest with their hand—
SCHK!
Followed by a violent SPRUUSH! as blood burst around everywhere.
The body fell to the ground—hands and legs tightening, then going motionless.
The figure cut the ties around Noor's mouth and body.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew—lifting the hood off the person.
Noor stared in pure shock.
"Wait… Miss—?"