A month had passed since Beru and Nobu first crossed paths. Their bond, forged out of shared hardship, had grown stronger as the days went by. Both were homeless, with no family to turn to and no place to call their own. They had no choice but to survive by any means necessary, even if that meant stealing food from others. Life had become a constant struggle for survival.
One evening, just as they were preparing for another robbery, a sleek, black supercar pulled up to the alley where they were waiting. The driver—a mysterious man in a tailored suit—stepped out. His presence exuded power, and he looked at them with a cold, calculating gaze.
"I can give you both food," the man said, his voice smooth and confident. "And a house. A place to stay. All you have to do is work for me."
Beru and Nobu exchanged looks. The offer was too tempting to ignore. They had no home, no future, and the idea of a stable life seemed almost too good to be true. But they were desperate, and hunger had clouded their judgment. They agreed without hesitation.
The man led them to his home—a lavish mansion tucked away on the outskirts of the city. It was a place of luxury and wealth, the kind of life they had never even dreamed of. But the moment they stepped inside, they felt the weight of something ominous hanging in the air.
The man ushered them into a dimly lit room and showed them a picture—a photograph of Nobu's stepmother, a woman he had barely known but who was the only family he had left.
"If you want her to live," the man said, his eyes narrowing, "you'll work for me. Fail, and she dies."
Nobu's heart sank. The thought of losing his stepmother, the only person who had ever cared for him, was unbearable. Without a second thought, he agreed to do whatever it took.
Beru, seeing Nobu's desperation, nodded as well. If it meant saving Nobu's family, he would follow this man to the ends of the earth.
The man, now revealing himself to be a wealthy and powerful foreign mafia boss, smiled darkly. His eyes gleamed with ambition. He had a dream—not of riches, but of world domination. To achieve this, he needed an army, and he saw potential in homeless children like Beru and Nobu. He had trained many others before them, shaping them into deadly weapons.
His first lesson for them was simple: survival in his world meant learning how to fight.
The First TestBeru and Nobu stood in a wide training room, both of them clutching wooden swords. Their first trial was a fight against Kashi—a twelve-year-old boy who was considered the best swordsman in the mafia's camp. Kashi was a prodigy, fast and precise, and he had been raised in this brutal world since he was younger than they were.
The fight began with a sense of tension hanging heavy in the air. It was 1 vs. 2. Kashi's movements were fluid, his strikes swift and sharp. He lunged at Beru first. Beru, caught off guard, barely managed to block the attack. The force of Kashi's strike slammed into his leg, knocking him off balance. Pain shot through Beru's body as he crumpled to the ground, unable to stand. He was disqualified.
Now, it was just Nobu.
Kashi, smirking, turned to Nobu. "Your turn. Try to keep up."
Nobu's eyes narrowed. He was fast—faster than Beru. He had honed his reflexes and speed on the streets, dodging attacks and surviving off his wits. With a burst of agility, he closed the distance and managed to land a light blow on Kashi, but it wasn't enough. His strike lacked the power to truly hurt the boy.
Kashi counterattacked, but Nobu's reflexes kicked in. He dodged the attack with a fluid movement, making Kashi's strike miss by mere inches. The mafia boss and Beru watched in stunned silence. Nobu's speed was unlike anything they had expected.
But Nobu was running on fumes. His energy was draining fast, and his body was beginning to slow down. Kashi seized the opportunity, launching a quick, precise attack that landed just enough to make Nobu stumble. With a final, exhausted swing, Nobu collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Kashi stood victorious, but there was no celebration. The mafia boss nodded approvingly, though his eyes were cold and calculating.
"Impressive," the mafia boss muttered. "But not enough."
Kashi was told to train Beru from that point on, while Nobu's training would be handled by the mafia's right-hand man—a silent, imposing figure who seemed to speak with his fists more than words.
The Price of PowerAs Nobu and Beru caught their breath, the weight of what they had signed up for began to settle in. They were no longer just survivors on the streets. They were part of something much darker. And the price of that survival was higher than they could have imagined.
The mafia's plans were grand. They didn't just want to rule a city or a country—they wanted to conquer the world. And to do that, they needed soldiers. Kids like Nobu and Beru, who had nothing left to lose, were the perfect candidates for his twisted army.
Now, with their futures uncertain, both boys would have to face a choice: keep training, keep fighting, and keep surviving, or risk losing everything they had left. But one thing was certain—their lives would never be the same.