I woke up to the sound of voices in the morning. Everyone else was already awake except me.

I turned my eyes towards the direction of the sounds. They were coming from the kitchen.

Ahmet said, "I should go and wake up Taşkın."

When he left the kitchen, we made eye contact.

"I was just coming to wake you up. Go wash your face and hands, and come to the kitchen for breakfast."

"Okay."

After washing my face and hands, I went to the kitchen. They were all gathered around the table waiting for me. They hadn't started breakfast yet.

They said good morning.

I smiled and nodded.

There weren't many different dishes, which I didn't expect anyway. At least it was better than the meals I usually got.

I sat in the chair designated for me, and we began to eat breakfast.

Ahmet was on my mind last night. He had told me his story, but he didn't mention his age.

I decided to ask.

"Ahmet, how old are you?"

He stopped just as he was about to take a bite of bread and turned to me.

"I'm fourteen."

"Let's leave the age talk and get to more important matters."

"If you remember, I told you that you can't just sit around in this house doing nothing."

"Kerem has an idea about this."

He directed the conversation to Kerem and resumed eating his bread.

I turned to Kerem and waited for him to speak.

"Yes, Taşkın, as you might recall, I had a tough time at school."

"Because of that, I decided to improve myself and found a gym. They also teach many martial arts there."

"Of course, I had no money and was too shy to ask the gym owner to let me in occasionally."

"I kept hanging around in front of the gym until the owner noticed and called me over."

"Why do you keep hanging around in front of the gym?"

"N-nothing, just passing by."

"Do you want to work out?"

When he asked this, I got very excited but tried not to show it.

"Y-yes, but I don't have any money."

The gym owner didn't say anything for a while.

Then he started talking again.

"Look, as you can see, the gym is big, and I can't handle all the work alone. If you want, you can work here, clean the gym, and exercise in your free time."

"O-okay, sir, I'll clean."

I had given such an answer out of excitement. The gym owner laughed at my state.

Then he took me to the gym and showed me around. He also explained the tasks I was responsible for.

"So, Taşkın, the reason I'm telling you this is..."

He took a sip of tea and continued.

"I can't handle all the work alone. If you want, you can work at the gym too. I'll talk to the owner. You're young, but the tasks aren't heavy. You can handle it. Plus, you'll get to work out. It'll be very beneficial for you as you grow up."

Accept it, Taşkın. You know you need to get stronger.

"Alright. I accept."

"Great, then we'll leave together after breakfast and head to the gym."

"Okay."

Now that I think about it, I was the youngest member of the group and had just joined them. However, they never discriminated against me and treated me with kindness.

Taşkın's face turned sad as he thought about this. Not long ago, he was chained up like a dog. Now, he had friends and was having breakfast with them. He felt emotional. He was smiling, but tears were streaming down his face involuntarily.

The kids panicked when they saw Taşkın like this.

"What happened? Why are you crying? Are you hurt?" They bombarded Taşkın with questions.

Finally, Taşkın pulled himself together and answered.

"I'm-I'm fine. It's just that I've never had breakfast before."

The kids' faces fell at this response. They were saddened. They wanted to ask Taşkın many questions, but they knew they wouldn't get any answers.

Ahmet spoke up.

"Don't be sad, Taşkın. You're with us now. We don't know what you've been through, but you can be sure you'll experience good things from now on."

I nodded. I wiped my eyes and continued eating breakfast.

I had questions for Ahmet and Cengiz. They must be working somewhere too. I was curious about where they worked.

I decided to ask them in the evening.

After finishing breakfast, we cleaned up the table together and left the house.

Cengiz and Ahmet went their separate ways and wished us good luck.

Kerem and I headed to the gym.

While walking, I asked Kerem a few questions.

"Ahmet told me to be careful around here and not to walk around alone, but he went off alone. Will he be okay?"

Kerem looked at me.

"When you get to know Ahmet, you'll understand that he can defend himself comfortably. Even if he gets into trouble, he knows the area very well. He can easily escape. You don't need to worry about him."

Then I thought of Cengiz.

"What about Cengiz? Will he be okay?"

"Taşkın, when Cengiz ran away from home, he slept on the streets for a while. He didn't start living with us immediately."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"In fact, he only told you a small part of his story. There's a lot more he hasn't shared with you."

"I could tell you, but it wouldn't be right."

"If Cengiz ever wants to tell you himself, he will."

"I understand... What kind of person is the gym owner?"

"His name is Adem and... Well, we haven't had any problems with him so far. We even joke around sometimes. You'll probably like him too."

"Are there other people besides Adem? I mean, other staff? You mentioned martial arts, so there must be instructors, right?"

"In fact, there's only one instructor. That's Coach Özkan."

"What martial arts does he know?"

"I don't know, I never asked, but he must know many martial arts. Honestly, I'm a bit intimidated by him. He has a very stern face. Plus, no one knows what he used to do."

"Didn't you ask the gym owner?"

"He doesn't know either, or if he does, he hasn't told me. From what he told me, he found Özkan injured on the street one night and brought him to the gym to treat him. He's been working at the gym since then."

"I think there's more to the story, but I'm not interested. It doesn't concern me."

"I see."

The man described by my new friend seemed interesting.

...

"Is the gym far from here?"

"Not very, we're almost there."

A few minutes later, we arrived at the gym. Kerem introduced me to the gym owner, Adem, and asked if I could work there.

"Hello, Adem."

"Welcome, Kerem. Who's your friend?"

"His name is Taşkın. Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Can Taşkın work here too? The gym is big, and it's hard to manage everything. I can handle it, but it takes a long time to finish all the tasks. With Taşkın, we'll get things done faster. Yes, he's a bit young, but he's a sturdy kid."

"Do you trust this kid? I haven't seen him with you before."

"I trust him."

...

"Alright, Kerem. He can work here. You teach him what he needs to do."

Adem came up to me and extended his hand.

"Congratulations, Taşkın."

"Thank you."

I shook his outstretched hand.

"Kerem, I have to go. I have a few things to take care of. Good luck to you."

"Alright. Goodbye."

After Adem left, Kerem turned to me.

"Taşkın, I told him I trust you, but I don't fully trust you yet. We've only known each other for a day. Please don't disappoint me."

That bastard's starting to get on my nerves.

Milaz, shut up.

"Thank you, Kerem. Don't worry, I'll do my best."

"Okay, then let me explain the tasks you need to do. There's not much to do. We'll just clean the gym at regular intervals. That's the easy part. The other task is to show the correct movements to the people who come here to exercise. I don't think you know any of the movements. I'll teach you everything, and when people ask, you can explain them properly."

"Alright."

Kerem began explaining in detail how to use all the equipment in the gym.

I was listening intently, but at the same time, I was curious about the guy named Özkan. My eyes were searching for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Kerem, where's this guy you were talking about?"

"You're asking about Özkan. He'll be here soon. Why are you asking about him?"

"I'm curious about what kind of person he is and what he looks like."

"You'll see soon enough. Just don't be scared when you see him."

"Don't worry, I won't be scared."

"We'll see about that."

Kerem continued his explanation. About ten minutes later, a man walked in.

"Look, Özkan is here."

I scrutinized him carefully. He was a giant of a man. I looked at his face. His eyes were cold and he was walking towards us.

"How are you, Kerem? Who's this?"

"He's my friend. He just started working here too."

Özkan inspected me closely. There was a scrutinizing look in his eyes, measuring me up.

Milaz, what do you think of this guy?

Something's off. It's clear he's not a normal person.

"Do you think we stand a chance against him?"

Impossible.

W-What? But I thought I had gotten stronger?

Taşkın, you do realize you're still just a kid, right? You killed Elif's father in a moment of emotional breakdown, fueled by a surge of power.

In your current state, it's impossible to win. This guy is definitely very dangerous.

So, what do we do then?

We take advantage of him as much as we can.

That idiot friend of yours mentioned that this guy knows martial arts, didn't he?

...

Yes?

You'll be trained by him then. Develop yourself as much as you can. Even though you might not realize it, you actually know how to fight pretty well.

W-What do you mean? Really?

You should have realized it when you fought Elif's father. Your body moved on its own, didn't it?

Now that you mention it, yes. You're right. It felt like someone else was controlling me.

Exactly. You have talent, but these abilities aren't under your control yet. They only come out during life-and-death situations or emotional outbursts. You'll learn to control them over time. You're just not at that level yet.

When you grow up, many of the abilities you have in mind will increase to an incredible degree. Your agility, speed, strength, etc. If you start improving yourself now, it will be very useful in the future.

In short, make sure to stay on good terms with this guy.

Understood.

While I was talking to Milaz in my head, Özkan started speaking.

"I like Kerem. Follow his instructions exactly. Don't expect any special treatment just because you're young. If you cause an accident, you'll pay for it."

I nodded without speaking.

"In that case, there's no problem."

He extended his hand to shake.

I shook his hand, but he wouldn't let go. Then he quickly lifted my hand and looked at the symbol.

I found an opening and pulled my hand back.

"Why do you have a tattoo at this age? And what kind of tattoo is that?"

"None of your business!"

"Don't touch me again, or you'll regret it!"

Kerem was looking at me with surprised eyes.

"O-Okay, Taşkın, calm down. I think you scared him, Özkan. He's not usually like this."

Özkan was grinning at me.

"So, you think you can make me regret it. How do you plan to do that with your frail form?"

I was staring at him angrily.

"HAHAHA. You're really an interesting kid, Taşkın. Want to come to the ring? I'll show you a few moves quickly. Maybe you can make me regret it there. Haha."

He was mocking me. It made me even angrier.

"Alright!"

Özkan stopped laughing. I guess he didn't expect me to accept.

"Come on then," he said.

Özkan started walking towards the ring. I was about to follow him when Kerem grabbed my arm and started talking.

"Where are you going, Taşkın? Why did you talk to Özkan like that? Apologize and let's get back to work."

"Take your hands off me, Kerem. I want to go. Besides, he won't hurt me. He's probably just going to give me a quick lesson."

Kerem looked at me in shock. Then he let me go.

We were both in the ring. Özkan was showing me basic moves. Stance, punching, etc. He explained these to me for about ten or fifteen minutes. Then he started talking again.

"That's enough for today. I'm sure you have other things to do in the gym."

"Alright then. Thank you."

I was walking towards the edge to get out of the ring.

Taşkın! Watch out!

As Milaz's warning echoed in my ear, I quickly pulled my head to the side reflexively without realising what had happened. A very fast punch had passed by my side. My hair was tossed with this sudden movement.

That punch could have easily killed you.

"W-What are you doing?"

"I've never seen a reflex like that, Taşkın. What are you?"

He was speaking casually, as if he hadn't just tried to kill me.

"Just a momen-"

That's enough!

I turned my head to where the voice came from. The gym owner, Adem, had arrived.

"Özkan, what are you doing!? Do you want to kill the kid!?"

"No, sir. You know me. My sixth sense is strong. This kid has talent."

"Whatever! I don't want to see such behavior again."

Özkan was angry but tried not to show it. He bowed his head.

"Okay, sir."

Adem then turned to me.

"Taşkın, come down from there. Get back to work quickly."

"Alright, sir. I'm coming down."

I got down from the ring and went to Kerem.

He was looking at me in shock.

"Taşkın, how did you dodge that punch like that? I forgot to tell you, but I've been training with Özkan, and I still don't have reflexes like that."

"I don't know. It was just an instinctive reaction. I'm sure it was just luck."

Kerem was looking at me suspiciously.

"Anyway, let's not talk too much. Adem is already angry. Let's get back to work. We'll talk at home tonight."

Taşkın was taken aback by the word "home." Up until now, he had never been in a place he could call home. What made a house a home anyway? Was it the size of the house? Or the people inside it?

"Home, huh..."

Kerem looked at Taşkın's surprised face.

"Sorry, I misspoke. I meant to say our home. It's your home too now, Taşkın. You're part of our family."

Hearing this, Taşkın's face lit up with a smile. He looked at Kerem happily.

"Alright then. Stop smiling and let's get to work."

Kerem was smiling as he said this. He was slowly getting used to Taşkın.

We didn't talk much more and Kerem continued teaching me the moves.

He explained everything in detail, so it was almost noon.

"That's enough for now. I'll teach you more tomorrow. Now let's move on to cleaning."

"It's noon. Are you hungry?"

I was hungry, but I didn't have any money yet to pay for food.

I must have thought for too long because Kerem started talking again.

"Don't worry, Taşkın. Adem pays for our food expenses. Just tell me what you want."

I was happy.

"Alright then. Can I have a döner?"

Kerem was smiling.

"Haha. Of course, you can, Taşkın."

"I'll have a döner too. Can you eat a whole one or should I order a half?"

"Order a whole one, please."

"Got it."

He called and ordered döners for us.

After eating our döners, we got back to work and cleaned the gym thoroughly until the evening.

When I looked at the clock on the wall, it was around ten in the evening.

While Kerem and I were mopping the floor, we were also talking.

From a distance, I saw Adem walking towards us.

"You guys worked well. You can go now. There are no more people left anyway. I'll close the gym soon too."

We said okay and put the mops back where we got them from and left the gym.

On the way back, Kerem started talking.

‘Today was really fun, Taşkın. Especially the incident with Özkan. I'm just getting over my astonishment.’ Haha.

I laughed too.

"Yeah, I'm still shocked too. I never expected him to do something like that."

"This Özkan guy is really something else. He's very strange."

"Yeah, he is."

We didn't talk much more and walked quickly towards home.