In the cold, unclean and contaminated basement, where walls have splatter, Raja looked Tales like a predator while tapping his left foot on the floor as if he's analyzing something. The sound of his foot tapping echoing off the walls. Tales stood chained, wrists and ankles cuffed, his gaze is agitated but powerless. The faint bruises on his face are throbbing but he couldn't care less and it only fuel his defiance. “So,” Raja began, voice full of disdain, ,“are you going to keep your mouth shut forever, hm?” Tales smirked, his face seems like taunting him and even if he knows how stupid his idea was,he still don't want to give in. “I’m not going to grovel if that’s what you’re after. Just get it over with.” Raja’s eyebrows met, a cruel smile appeared on his lips. “Still so proud. I’ll enjoy breaking that out of you.” He then walk towards the right side of the wall pulling the lever, to tighten the chains holding Tales, forcing him to stand on his toes, straining under the weight.
Knock! Knock! Knock! Tales grimaced as he heard loud knocks coming from his door and opened his eyes. He had dozed off to sleep in the middle of planning his escape from this hellish situation. He immediately got out of bed and opened the door, not minding his bed hair and unkempt appearance. One of Raja's stern-looking men greeted him, holding a black box. "What?" he asked. "Get changed," the man said, handing him the box. "Boss is waiting outside. He ordered that you should be there by 7:30!" Then he left. 'What?' Tales didn't ask further questions and closed the door. He immediately looked at the wall clock and saw that it was already 7:25. He only had 5 minutes to prepare? Raja must think he has superpowers or something. Nonetheless, he shouldn't complain unless he has a perfect plan to kill that bastard. For now, he just needed to get on his good side. He was asked to get changed, so it must be clothes. He opened the box and saw a black suit, a gun, and a knife beside it.
Raja can smell the animosity of Tales base on its sharp gaze on his back. He cares no less. He knows that Tales wonders why he acts like that and may think that he is a lunatic but who fucking cares when it's true? And that old man is a traitor, and a traitor should be beheaded. He's merciful enough to gave that old man a short time to share the same air like him. How dare that old man, attempted to solicit his prostitutes with much wage than his? And one of his men even help with the plan! There's no way he could let it go. Raja discreetly glance at Tales who's maintaining his poker face but his body language says otherwise. Upon leaving the company, in the lobby, a lot of employees were shocked by how they were covered with blood but no one is fast enough to report them to the authorities. Of course, if someone is courageous enough to report them, he needs to spend some money to shut those personnels which will eventually increase his hatred towards Calder.When they arrive toward
Upon arriving at the estate, Tales frowned upon seeing two men in suits. They were muscular men who seemed to have the potential to be models. They were sitting on the couch as if waiting for someone. Tales' frown deepened when he noticed that the two men were trembling, their faces flushed red. Beads of sweat were also forming on their foreheads.Tales looked at Raja, but his expression was different. Raja seemed annoyed by what he saw."What the fxck are you doing here?"The two men were startled by the young man's outburst before they slowly replied."But it's Wednesday, Master."Master?!Raja smirked, then covered half of his face with his left hand and laughed."Right. It's Wednesday," he said, as if realizing something. "Glad you're here. I'm so pent up right now. Go to the red room first and get dressed."The two immediately obeyed and walked away. But Tales' frown deepened further when he saw that they seemed to have difficulty walking properly due to their trembling legs."Wh
The smell of sautéing onions followed by vegetables could be heard across the kitchen. Tales felt the pang of hunger again as he regained his senses from the events earlier. He went down to the kitchen and, to his relief, found lots of groceries. He didn't like processed foods, so he immediately started preparing a homemade meal. Fried fish and Sinigang.As he went downstairs, he could still hear the moans, sounding like cries of pleasure, coming from the room he had run away from a few minutes ago, but he ignored it. He should start acting docile, one step at a time. He should fool them into thinking he had submitted, but changing his behavior too quickly would arouse suspicion, so he would do it gradually.While he was cooking, Raja walked downstairs. Freshly showered, wearing a loose black tank top and black pajamas. He was still drying his hair when he heard the sounds of kitchen utensils and smelled the cooking. He frowned but still headed to the kitchen, knowing who was cooking.
Tales didn’t complain and simply changed clothes, and once again, a turtleneck paired with a coat. When he stepped out, Raja gave him a thorough head-to-toe look, clearly unimpressed. It was as if Tales hadn’t changed at all, as his outfit looked almost identical to what he usually wore, whether at home or out.“Don’t you really have anything else to wear?” Raja remarked sarcastically, crossing his arms. “What’s wrong with you, seriously?”Tales ignored the comment and sighed deeply. “What kind of work will we be doing tonight, sir?” he asked, bringing the conversation away from his outfit.“Hmm?” Raja raised an eyebrow, as if Tales had just asked something ridiculously obvious. “Of course, to punish Calder.”Tales just nodded slightly but didn't say any word.They got into yet another luxurious car and began the drive to their destination: which Tales don't know about. Throughout the ride, Tales pretended to nap to avoid Raja’s knack for getting on his nerves. He also didn’t want to
The second floor musics with a quiet, heavy tension. Tales followed Raja into the lounge, where the women stood in a loose semi-circle. As if they're discussing something. Upon seeing Raja and his company, some of the womens expressions ranged from nervous to defiant. While others, lower their heads as they're afraid of the man entering.Raja wasted no time, his gaze roam across the group before he gestured toward one of his men, who stepped forward with a ledger in hand.“You all know why you’re here,” Raja began, his voice cold and authoritative. "Let's not waste time and begin."The man flipped open the ledger and started calling names.“Ryza Mangyao.”A tall woman with long, glossy hair stepped forward, her red lips pressed into a tight line.“Loli Compacion.”A petite woman followed, her hands clenched at her sides, avoiding Raja’s piercing gaze. She bit her lips out of frustration. “Juliet Dagwayan.”A third woman who look like she'll collapse at any time because of nervousne
Tales stepped into a familiar house, looking around cautiously. The living room had a table full of cigarettes and three small, heavily worn-out gray sofas. The TV was on. Scattered across the floor were bottles of liquor and a pile of laundry."Mom," Tales called out, but his mother didn’t respond. He knows she's here since he cleaned up before going to school.He grew uneasy when he noticed his bedroom door was open. He had locked it earlier—what had his mother done now?He ran towards his room, and his suspicions were right. His mother was frantically rummaging through his things, pulling clothes out of his cabinet.Tales let out a deep sigh. This was always the case. Every time his mother ran out of money after losing at gambling, she would ransack his things. He couldn’t deny that she’d become this way because of his father. But he had enough. He can't go on like this.'F*ck my life.'He was their child—why did he have to suffer the consequences of their mistakes too? He didn't c
'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 infirmary was covered in silence, save for the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the faint hum of the IV pump. Tales sat drooped in his chair, arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Raja’s still form. The moonlight filtered through the small window, casting pale shadows across the room.'His face is pale...'Raja hadn’t open his eyes since they’d brought him in. His face was ashen, his breathing shallow, the rise and fall of his chest barely noticeable. One could mistaken him for being dead if they didn't see the apparatuses.Tales leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he studied the man. “You’re a tough bastard, aren’t you?” he muttered, his voice low. “But even you can’t take this much.”He ran a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. The stillness was unnerving, the lack of response gnawing at him.“Hey,” Tales said, louder this time, as if sheer force could will Raja to wake. “You gonna make us carry your dead weight forever, or what?”No
The forest was eerily quiet as Unit 1 run away at the back of the mansion towards the woods, surprisingly no one stopped their leaving that fuel their tension as their breaths coming fast and shallow. The moonlight filtered through the canopy above, casting long shadows across the ground. Claren immediately put Raja against a tree, the moon make his battered body crystal clear, while the rest of the team caught their breath, weapons still in hand. Tales crouched nearby, knife glinting in his hand, as he tried to caught his breath.They now only have 10 members left from the unfortunate event. Raoul who has now finally caught his breath, managed to speak. "We can't let our guard down. We should run again before they can catch up.""They will not." Raja intervened even though he's so weak right now.Tales raised his eyebrows. He almost died back there. He'll not do it again. He'd rather wait for an announcement that Raja was dead before moving. He just risked his life for nothing. "Wha
Raja’s words hung in the air, their bitter tone left tension through the room’s silence. Tales took another hesitant step forward, his gaze locked on the bruised and bloodied figure before him."Raja's here, 2nd floor." Raoul informed others through the ear piece.While Tales wince because of emotion he felt. He thought he would be disappointed if he'll find Raja alive but instead, relief wash over him. “Of course, we came,” Tales said, his voice unsteady. He cannot control the emotions that is swirling inside him. “We’re here to get you out.”Raja chuckled weakly, the sound more like a cough. “Out?” he repeated, his words has no hope at all, like he had no hope with his teammates capabilities to get him out of the hellhole, shaking his head. “You’re not getting anyone out of here. Least of all me. You should just wait in the headquarters. You've ruined everything!" He hissed although that's barely a whisper.Raoul narrowed his eyes, his gun still raised. “What the hell are you talki
The white mansion is just ahead, its tall windows glowing with the lights inside and can be seen in the area where the Unit 1 and Tales was hiding. They're hiding behind the tall and big trees. Some were on the bushes. There were no guards. The place was took quite as if inviting them to get inside. But they couldn't care less. "So what is the plan?" Tales asked. Claren could either divide them by group in order to search for Raja faster but Tales' jaw almost dropped when he heard Claren's words."No plan.""W-what?" He asked unbelievably. "How about the lay out of this mansion? You have that at least, right?"Claren looked at him for a long time before shaking his head. "Got none. The plan is to save Raja. Nothing else."Tales was speechless. So it's really a suicide huh? How can they be so brainless? Well, he's no better but he don't want to die. Nevermind... He'll just run if things got really messy."Let's get moving."Tales followed close behind Claren and Raoul, his knife and g
The silence in the living room was deafening, broken only by the faint tik-tak of Tales' feet. It was already a week since Raja's disappearance. Claren and half of the crew already recovered. Though their eyes screams icy stares towards him. He was walking towards the kitchen to eat. Claren who's really quiet, has his earlier anger controlled but simmering just beneath the surface. Michael was also glaring at him like there's no tomorrow. Tales poured himself a water. His mind raced, trying to redirect his thoughts but every thought looped back to Raja.The image of him being dragged away wouldn’t leave.And also the crew seems so busy cleaning with their guns, knives and weapons. Tales even furrowed his eyebrows in curiosity. What are they even doing or planning?Michael who's also eyeing him, finally broke the silence, his voice low and rough. “You are really collected huh? When it's your fault that Raja is like this. But what can I expect ? Even if you'll use your pea brain, your
The morning light filtered through the curtains, weak and gray. Tales hadn’t moved from the floor at all, his body stiff and his mind clouded. The events of the night felt like a blur, but the image of Raja being dragged away remained sharp and vivid.Don't get him wrong. He stayed with Claren and others all because he wanted to acquire some information. He needs to know if Raja will be back alive or in a form of corpse. A loud groan startled Tales and immediately look at Claren who was struggling to sit on the bed. Claren's expression was guarded, but his sharp eyes scanned Tales carefully.Tales sat stiffly on the floor, his fingers twitching against his knees. The morning light streaming through the window did nothing to ease the tension in the air. His mind raced with questions, but no one had come to explain anything. He had to ask.But before he could even speak, Claren opened his mouth to ask, his eyes narrowing at him and his gaze is cold and unwelcoming.“Tales,” Claren ca
"Get changed."The cold walls of Raja’s headquarters made the room feel lifeless. Brightlight chandelier flickered above, casting shadows on the floor. Tales sat on a couch, his body slumped forward, the weight of the past days are too much to bear. He was wrapped in Raja’s large coat, his own clothes gone—torn and useless. The coat was warm but heavy, a reminder of everything that had happened.His body ached with every breath. Cuts and bruises covered him, and the marks from the whip still burned. But all of this seems to be buried with the suffocating silence and tension in the room. Raja was walking away from the living room now carrying a silence. He walked towards the staircase in order to went to his study, his hands gripping the railings tightly. His white shirt was stained with blood—Dimitri’s blood. The katana he’d used to cut down Dimitri’s men lay was on his hand beside him, still dirty with the fight.The silence between them stretched. Tales couldn’t take it anymore.He
It was such a hurdle for Tales. Tales didn’t know what to feel upon seeing that Raja didn’t do anything when Dimitri took him. He just stood there, staring blankly at him.And Tales of course didn't expect Raja to save him although his body trembled unbeknownst to him. They exited the party and went to where Dimitri's vehicle are."Let go of me." He hissed as he bumped his head to the head of one of Dimitri's men named Roose and even flap his legs, kicking the people that surrounded him.Tales eyebrows twitch in fear when Roose narrowed his mind while looking at him. He looks deadly dangerous. Yet Tales frown when the man snickered. "You're feisty. I like that." He raised his hand and attempted to touch Tales but Dmitri immediately slap his hand away. "You dare?""Boss—""Me first." Dmitri stated with emphasis with slightly widening of eyes to say that he should not touch his possession.He was dragged against his will and no matter how much he struggled, it was all in vain. When t