'The first time I saw him, I thought he was invincible.'Raja stood among the other children in that cold, dimly lit training room. His small fists were clenched at his sides, shaking with fear and exhaustion. The trainer’s voice barked commands, and the crack of a whip punctuated every failure. Raja had already been struck once that day, the pain still radiating across his back.He wanted to give up.But then he saw him—Tales, standing tall and defiant in the line of children. There was something different about him. While the others avoided the trainer’s gaze, shrinking under his scrutiny, Tales stared back with fire in his eyes.'He didn’t just survive; he fought. He was everything I wasn’t—strong, fearless, unbreakable. I wanted to be like him. And I was even more mesmerized how well he takes care of me. I'm not his brother by blood but upon consuming the poison, he was there to help me when I woke up. He was attentive to me and treated me like a family.'The memory blurred, shift
The cell door creaked open, and the light coming from the torches in the corridor made Raja flinch, his body instinctively curling tighter against the cold, damp wall. He squinted against the brightness, his mind hazy from hunger and exhaustion.The figure that stepped inside wasn’t Jake. This time, it was someone far more dangerous.Father.The man’s imposing presence filled the room, his sharp, calculating eyes scanning the space. He paused, his gaze settling on Raja’s frail, battered form. Raja immediately hissed, like a tiger cub planning to devour a rhinoceros. His mouth instinctively growl as he look at Father with pure rage. He wanted to kill him, right here— right now. He's the reason for all the suffering Raja experienced! “It seems like the rat the I deemed to be useless has evolved into a tiger cub,” Father said, his voice smooth and cold. “You've managed to survive.” he crouched and look at Raja with eyes as if looking into a very valuable thing in an auction.Raja didn’t
The sterileroom corridor was cold, silent except for the faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead. Raja and father are walking in the center, his muscles taut, his breathing steady and arrived at one of the rooms in the basement. Father loomed before him, his presence commanding, as always, but today there was something else—a sense of finality in the air, like the conclusion of a long, drawn-out game.“You’ve come far, Raja,” Father began, his voice calm, almost gentle. “But before you can truly become the weapon I’ve crafted, there is one final test.”Raja’s eyes narrowed, his instincts flaring with unease. He had faced countless trials, endured unspeakable pain, and survived horrors that would have broken anyone else. Yet this… this felt different.Father gestured toward the room and they entered it. Two guards stepped forward, dragging a pair of figures into the light. Raja’s breath hitched.It was them.His parents.Raja’s heart pounded in his chest, a wild, erratic beat that bet
The infirmary was once again steeped in tension, the air heavy with unresolved conflict. Raja sat upright now, his body trembling from both the lingering pain of his injuries and the storm of emotions raging within him. It seemed like the injury had gotten the best of him, and his fragility made him blurt out his most hidden emotions that he had never imagined letting out unless he were to die. Tales stood a few feet away, his arms crossed, his face a mask of indifference.“You weren’t there,” Raja said again, his voice sharp but laced with exhaustion. “You left me all alone. You promised you’d come back.”Tales didn’t flinch by his remarks. His gaze was steady, cold, and void of any remorse. Raja don't know if it's because his body is battered from Father's torture but his chest tightened even more upon seeing Tales eyes."You said that you'd come back. You promised. But you're just like them, you abandoned me."Tales’ jaw tightened, but his face remained impassive. “I did what I had
The grand dining hall of the mansion was eerily quiet, the weight of the decision hanging over everyone present. Members of the organization sat around the massive table, their eyes nervously flickering toward Raja, who was at the head of the table with an air of authority that demanded silence. The glow of the chandelier above cast long shadows. Claren, sitting near Raja, gave Raja a cautious look, his brow furrowed. Tales lingered in the back, his posture relaxed, but his eyes sharp as ever, scanning the room, unreadable. 'This guy must be a freak. Holding a meeting when he's not healed yet.' Tales murmured in his mind. After the last of the silverware was cleared and the faint clinking of glasses settled into silence, Raja look at them and clasped his hands above the table. "I’ve decided," he began, his tone low but firm, "to sever ties with Father." Silence. The words hung in the air, thick with unspoken meaning. No one moved, no one spoke. The members of the organization s
'Why am I still here?' Tales thought bitterly, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames of the fire. The warmth should have been comforting, but it felt suffocating, like it was burning away the last of his defenses. He gripped the armrest of his chair, enough to make his knuckles white. 'I should leave. I should have left minutes ago. This isn't right!' He stole a glance at Raja, whose forehead rested against his shoulder. Tales could feel Raja’s uneven breaths, the tremor in his body as if holding himself together was becoming too much. 'This isn’t fair,' Tales thought, anger bubbling beneath his skin. Not at Raja—never at him—but at the universe, at himself. 'Why does he have to speak at me like that? Like I’m the only thing holding him together even though I’m the one who broke him?'The silence was deafening, broken only by the crackle of the fire. Tales clenched his fists, willing himself to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come. They were stucked in his throat,
'How do you even begin to tell someone the truth when it’s uglier than anything they’ve imagined?'Tales was scared. His past is nothing but an utter pit of agony and dirt. He couldn't even dare to remember it. Much less say it out loud, informing Raja. But here he is.Raja leaned forward slightly, his presence overwhelming even in his stillness. “Please,” he urged softly, his voice steady but thick with emotion. “I’m not going anywhere.”Tales’ lips parted, but no words came out. The room felt too small and the air too heavy. He wanted to run, to escape the unbearable pressure of Raja’s gaze, but his body betrayed him. He stayed rooted to the spot, unable to move.'He deserves the truth,' Tales thought bitterly. 'Even if it makes him hate me more than he already does. Even if he'll stare at me with scrutiny.'Tales leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his voice steady but tinged with bitterness as he began. “My life before this... it wasn’t much. My mother was a drunk. A
Raja’s grip tightened around him, his mind caught between the agony of knowing and the fury of what had been done. They hurt him. They broke him. And they’re still out there. Freely roaming around!Tales shifted, his fingers still gripping Raja’s shirt like a lifeline. “Raja…” his voice was weak, exhausted. “Shut it.”Raja’s jaw clenched, his breath heavy with barely contained rage. “Tell me their names, Tales,” he demanded, his voice low but seething. “Every single one of them.”Tales hesitated, his throat tightening. “It won’t change anything,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Raja leaned forward, his hands gripping the sides of Tales’ face, forcing him to look at him. “It is not over,” he growled. “You think they get to just disappear into the world after what they did to you? After what they took from you?” His voice shook with fury. “No, Tales. It’s not over until they’ve paid for it.”Then, just as Raja opened his mouth to swear vengeance, Tales’ voice cut through the
Jake’s resentment festered like an untreated wound.For years, he swallowed the bitterness, forced himself to held his head high in front of Oliver, forced himself to play the loyal unambitious son, even as something in him curdled and rotted with every passing day.He should’ve given up. He should’ve accepted it. Raja became Oliver’s favorite. Raja became the chosen one. Raja was the one who mattered.But Jake wasn’t built to accept. He wasn’t built to be cast aside. He was trained for survival. So if Oliver didn’t see him as his son—Then Jake would make sure Oliver had nothing left to see at all. If he couldn’t be Oliver’s greatest creation, he would be his greatest failure.However, that alone wasn’t enough to burn Oliver’s empire to the ground. Being a disgrace would only give a little to no impact towards Oliver and the organization. No—Jake wanted to carve it apart, piece by piece, while Oliver was still alive to witness it crumble.And so, he planned.He started with Victor.
Jake had always done exactly as he was told.From the moment he could walk, Oliver had shaped him like a blade—sharpened his mind, hardened his body, stripped him of anything weak. And he had obeyed. He had followed orders. He had killed. He had smiled when Oliver wanted him to smile, knelt when Oliver wanted him to kneel, and suffered when Oliver wanted him to suffer. Because that was what a son was supposed to do.He was not loved.He was not special.He was a project. A tool. A thing to be possessed and used.Jake learned early that love was something you had to earn. That it wasn’t given freely. That if he did everything Oliver asked—if he followed the rules, if he never mess up or doubt, if he obeyed—maybe then he would hear something kind. Maybe then his father would look at him like he mattered. Maybe his father would look at him with love.So he obeyed.The first time Oliver threw him into a fight, Jake was seven. Small, underfed, shaking. His opponent was older—twelve, bigger
The night air was suffocating as Raja approached the entrance of Jake’s hideout—a rotting industrial complex left behind from another era. The rusted metal and broken windows appeared like coarse teeth in the dark. Raja's boots crunched over debris as he stalked forward, carrying a gun and a long knife in both of his two hands, his breathing slow and controlled despite the ache in his battered body. Blood—dried and fresh—clung to his clothes. He looked like a man crawling out of hell. Maybe he was.This was it. The end of the line.He passed the first perimeter silently, his blade and gun glinting faintly in the moonlight. Jake's guards had been stationed like cattle, unaware that the slaughter was coming.He was just announcing himself walking with his head held high, however seems like the security is too lax.Raja didn't waste time.The first man barely made a sound as Raja’s knife sliced clean through his throat. The second caught the glint of blade too late, a gun halfway raised
Raja’s boots crunched against the sand as he stepped out of the vehicle, the engine still running behind him. The houses infront of him are mostly made of bamboo and are practically glued yo each other. Slums near the ocean. He surveyed the houses with no light, he walked and walked until... he found it. In front of him, a house stood crooked, its rusted tin roof bent inward, peeling paint clinging stubbornly to the rotting wooden walls. It was the kind of place most people wouldn’t give a second glance, and for a moment, Raja wondered if he’d come to the wrong place.But no.This was Zaden’s hideout. His sanctuary. Tucked away in the forgotten corners of his hometown. Raja had expected something more refined, something cleaner. But looking at it now, it made sense.Zaden couldn't care less.Raja approached the door with slow, deliberate steps, his breath steady but his pulse quickening. Without hesitation, he raised his foot and—BANG!The flew violently as he kicked it open. The old
The first swing of the hammer crushed Raoul’s kneecap with a sickening crunch. Raoul screamed—raw, high, desperate. His body convulsed violently as he slumped on the floor. But Raja was already raising the hammer again.“Where is he?!”“I don’t know!” Raoul sobbed. “I don’t know!"Raja crouched down and stare at Raoul. A question once again occured in his mind. He don't know why this man betrayed him. Hr notice how all of his movements was observe and reported but he didn't know it was Raoul. He just thought that it's one of his men who's lower rank, but to think its Raoul?The hammer fell again, this time slamming into Raoul’s hand, shattering the bones with brutal efficiency. Raoul’s screams echoed off the cold concrete walls, but Raja didn’t flinch.“You told Jake I killed Oliver,” Raja said slowly, his voice low, controlled. “I won't even ask you why you betrayed me. I don't care about that nor I care about you working with him. Just tell me where Tales and I'll give you a painles
Raoul stood ten meters away from where is Raja standing, looking at its phone. He was analyzing Raja's expression to predict what will be his next move. That's the only thing he could do since Raja has sharp senses and moving close to him is like announcing his presence. He'll be killed in an instant. He gritted his teeth. Raja had been their leader for a long time but he need to think for himself. His phone was pressed on his ear. His expression was unreadable, calm even. Jake’s voice filtered through the line. “Everything’s set?”Raoul exhaled slowly. “I think he's on his way to find Zaden. You’ll have time to move all Father's confidential documents and analyze the vaults left by him.”Jake chuckled softly. “Good job. You still have one task left, come here immediately after sorting things.”Raoul’s fingers tapped the metal railing beside him. “Alright.”A pause.“Good,” Jake said. “You’ll get your reward soon.”Raoul hung up. He closed his eyes for a moment. “Forgive me,” he wh
Tales moved quickly, his footsteps is light and careful against the cold steel of the floor. Every breath was measured in the fear of being noticed....Strange! How come it's so quiet? Like no one's here?!Every corner he passed by was clear before he stepped forward. The building had gone too quiet.No guards.No Jake.Nothing.He should have heard something. The faint buzz of radios informing other guards of his escape, the stomp of boots, anything.But the silence was heavy. Almost Oppressive.Where is he?Where was Jake?The man who never left him alone. The man who enjoyed watching his unyielding facade, the man who wants him to bleed and suffer.Tales’ grip tightened on the bent fork in his hand.The air tasted wrong.As if something had already happened—or was about to.But he didn’t stop.He needed escape and find Raja.He needed to get the hell out of here.MEANWHILE...The office was a war zone.Shattered glass littered the floor. Bullet holes flashed in the walls like some
Raja lunged forward, his muscles screaming with effort as he cut through the space between them. He could still hear Oliver’s mocking tone, could still see Lila standing there like a puppet on a string. He didn’t hesitate.His breath came out ragged, his heart pounding like thunder in his chest. There was no more thought. No more strategy.Only instinct.Only rage.He lunged.Straight for Oliver’s throat.But the moment his foot hit the marble floor in a sprint, the click of guns being released echoed through the room. Lila’s guards—hidden in the darkened corners—raised their weapons.Then—Gunfire erupted.Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!Bullets shot through the air, shattering glass, biting into the walls around him. Raja’s body reacted on instinct. He twisted hard and dove behind one of the thick marble pillars as chunks of stone exploded around him from the shots. Sharp fragments cut across his face, but he didn’t stop moving.He counted the shooters—six. No, it's eight.
Raja stormed down the hallway, his bloody shoes slamming against the marble floors, leaving behind a trail of blood. His body keeps aching, bruises forming beneath his torn clothes, but he barely felt it. It's like he's become numb. The rush of adrenaline drowned out the pain, leaving only rage. His eyes are bloodshot, devoid of any unnecessary emotions. His hands twitched, eager to wrap around Oliver’s throat and end everything.He stop after sometime. Facing the black huge door in which inside, Oliver is there. He gritted his teeth upon remembering how they got played by Oliver. He can't wait to kill him. But he needs to calm down. He needs to or else he'll be defeated. With a sharp exhale, he walked near the heavy double doors of Oliver’s office, grabbing the handle —only to stop when he realized that he didn't need to be so polite. He didn't hesitate.BANG!Raja kicked the doors open, the wood slamming against the walls with a deafening crash.The scent of expensive cologne and bu