AN- Hey all you readers (if there are any *sniff*), this is my first ff, so please leave you comments, and i can't really promise the second chapter anytime soon, maybe a week idk. Busy with studies in RL. So without wasting anymore of your time, i present you the prologue of my ff~~

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‘sigh’...Looking in the mirror, trying to smile awkwardly, the teenage boy loosened his facial muscles as he let out a deep breath.

‘Fuck it’ Cursing in his mind, he glared at the face looking back at him with sinister eyes. ‘This is getting nowhere. I think I’ll just cover them with my bangs as I always do.’ He thought while messing around his medium length black hair.

After getting his eyes, that got him into trouble more than one time, more or less covered, he left the washroom. But just before he left, he looked back into the mirror again. Standing tall he could see a boy around 17 with fit body, wearing a school uniform. After a quick look, he closed the door, and went downstairs to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

“Ash, how can you even see with those bangs in front of your eyes?” asked a woman with black hair, while watching her son placing the French toast in his mouth. Even though she was in her late thirties, she looked really young and beautiful.

In response, he made a grunting sound, not looking up from his plate, mumbling, “Don’t worry I got x-ray vision.”

Shaking her head, her mother spoke in a soft tone, “I know you don’t like the way your eyes look, but I think it’ll be fine if you try to smile a little.” Not knowing the fact that her son just wasted half an hour in front of the mirror practicing smiling, which to an outsider might have looked like he was trying to scare the mirror, and in their eyes it would definitely seem working.

Ash just said, “Yeah, I’ll try.” Not wanting to hurt his mother, he tried to smile, and watching her son try his best, his mother smiled and came to hug him. But he knew that his smiling face could scare even an adult.

After a quick hug, he finished the rest of his breakfast, and he helped her mother wash the dishes. Saying goodbye to his mom, who also left in the opposite direction to work at a nearby restaurant, he started slowly walking to the place where he was feared as a demon.

Arriving at the school gates, he made past the students who started making way for him while whispering ‘Look the demon is here’ ‘Oh shit clear the way idiot or he’ll kill you’.

Clicking his tongue with annoyance, he quickly made his way to his classroom leaving behind trembling students. Opening the door, the noisy classroom dropped a couple of decibels in sound, looking at the new comer who they could do much better without.

Paying no attention to them, he just went to the last seat near the window. Dropping his bag down and staring out the window, the chit-chat started again in the classroom but still less audible than before. Looking towards the vast sky, his thoughts began to wander to his current situation which all started from a particular incident.

------- Flash Back ---------

In his childhood looking at other families in the park where he usually played alone, he asked his mother where his father was when he got home. His mother at that moment had a terrified look, and kept on changing the subject. This went on for years, but fortunately or was it unfortunate, he heard the chatting of two ladies that lived in the same neighborhood one day talking about his mother.

“Oh, do you know about the lady who lives with that scary kid down the street?”, one asked the other,

“Yeah, I know about her, and you should keep away from her.”, whispering closely to the other,

“I heard that she’s a -------.”

The 13-year-old boys’ world shattered that day, he stood there for a while not believing what they just said. He would always read books when he was alone, so he knew what that word meant. Why hasn’t he met his father? Why did his mother avoid talking about his father?

When the sun fell down, he slowly dragged his feet to his modest home. Running to the door, his mother wore a worried expression which soon turned a relieved one when she saw her son standing at the door.

“Do you know how much you had me worried? Where were you all this time?” She spoke in reprimanding tone scrunching together her eyebrows. But Ash just stood there lifeless, not even moving a little.

Seeing him like this, she panicked a bit, “Are you alright Ash? Are you hurt anywhere?” She came close to check up on him

As she closed on him, he spoke in a low voice, “Where is my father?” The question he had asked some time ago, and she would always say that they had divorced. He didn’t know his father’s name, nor his face.

Surprised a bit by his sudden question his mother answered him the same with a stiff smile as she always did, “We already divorced before your birth, I don’t know where he is.”

As anger boiled in him, digging his nails into his clenched fist that were turning white, he shouted for the first time at his mother,

“They called you a whore!!!”

As if realizing what he had just said to the one who had loved him dearly even with his eyes that looked like some villains’, he looked up to his mother, tears dropping from her eyes on her beautiful face. His heart broke, he knew how kind his mother was, she would never do things like that came to his mind.

Rushing to her side, he also started crying while repeating, ‘I’m sorry’, over and over again. She hushed him to stop crying, while she herself started gathering her mind.

He looked into her eyes, pain could be seen there, but also resolution and love. She started speaking slowly,

“You are more mature than your age, so I think it’s time I should tell you the truth.”, She mumbled.

“I was a college student back then when it happened.” She shivered a bit, but soon controlled herself,

“On that terrible day I got late coming back from the college due to my evening class, and while I was walking back on the street, a car stopped right beside me, and I was dragged inside.” Tears started flowing down her eyes, but she still continued

“I was taken somewhere inside a building, pulled by some men to a room where they left me with a man who they called boss. I was terrified, and tried to speak, but before I could he started speaking, telling me that he took a fancy to me when he saw me walking down the street. He said he would pay me money if I slept with him, but I rejected him straight away. But…but he…” her mother at that point started sobbing while her whole body started shivering.

“They kept me there for 2 days, and left me on in front my father’s house in the morning. My father tried the police, getting in court, but it was all in vain. The man….,” she paused a bit, “that had raped me was a big mafia king, and apparently he had connections with the police and the local mayor. In the end they labeled me as a whore who was just trying to get money from him. I had to drop out of the college as I got pregnant with you but my father supported me at that time. But after a little while he also died due to a heart attack, and I had to start working at a restaurant. I considered to take my life so many times…”

Ash felt angry at himself for believing even for a moment that his mother was a whore, but not only at himself but the man who had made his mother’s life a hell. Seeing his expression, she smiled, and lovingly spoke,

“But god also gave me a reason to live.” She took his face in her hands, and kissed his forehead. “It was you that kept me going.”

---------- Flash Back End -------------

“Quiet Down” as he heard the teachers voice, he came back to his senses. Still clenching his hands in his pockets as he laid back on his chair while thinking about killing the man that made his mother’s life miserable. But powerless he was, even if he was a black belt in karate, and tae-Kwondo, his body couldn’t bounce off bullets.

Grinding his teeth, he didn’t pay a speck of his attention to the teacher. All in all, his scary looks came from the bastard while his mind from his mother who was an excellent student, so he had little to worry about studying.

In no time, the boring classes had ended, and it was break time. While getting out of his seat away from the bustling classroom where he didn’t feel like eating his lunch alone, he bumped into a girl. The girl in question was quite popular, and as she fell down on her butt making a squeal, the bustling classroom went quiet in an instant.

Everyone was thinking the same thing, ‘Oh no she’s dead’. But when a smiling Ash tried to help her get up by extending out his hand to get her up, she squeaked more covering her chest. While a handsome guy cut him off by putting up his fists, trying to punch Ash.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Watching the whole thing unfold, Ash just avoided the clumsy punch by tilting his head a little bit. ‘What the fuck is wrong with this guy? Is he retarded?’ Ash knew that he was trying to become the ‘hero’, by protecting the ‘princess’ from the ‘demon’, but still trying to punch him when he was just helping her was going a little too far.

Ash looked him while squinting his eyes, and tilting his head a little backwards. This gesture made him look like a devil himself, while the other guy in question got shaky legs. Ash just made his way outwards, while pushing him out of the way with his elbow which made the ‘prince charming’ stagger backwards into the desks as he collapsed on them.

“Don’t get in my way next time.”, Ash said in a low voice just so that everyone could hear him.

Climbing up the stairs to the rooftop, he sat alone while eating the lunch that her mother had made in the morning. Thinking about the incident in the classroom just now, he made a wry smile, ‘I should stop smiling I guess, but mom said..’ Stopping his train of thoughts, he finished his lunch.

‘The rest of the classes are gonna be boring….’, as he thought that he looked around, and comfortably placed his hands behind his head, and laid down. ‘Might as well as sleep I guess.’

……

Squirming around a little bit, Ash woke to the sound of the school bells echoing marking the end of the last period.

‘Shit, slept too much. Well whatever it’s not like they teach anything important.’ Picking up his lunch box, he made his way back to the empty classroom. Staring outside, he sighed ‘I don’t want to be late for my karate lessons again or that old man would kill me.’

Running like the wind through the streets, he reached the dojo. Taking a look at his watch, he sighed in relief ‘Barely safe in time.’

Going inside the old dojo building that have been run from many generations, he greeted an old man nearing 60s. The old man looked at Ash while showing a small smile,

“I see you arrived on time today.”

Ash shivered at the thought of all the training the old man put him through when he came late once. Quickly changing into his training outfit, Ash started practicing with a punching bag.

Everyone at the dojo knew how he trained everyday, and stayed clear of his way.

The old man gave him pointer every now and then, albeit strictly but Ash knew that he was a good man that cared about him like a grandfather.

“Hmm you can go now.” The old man said as he saw Ash looking at the clock again and again. “But be here on time tomorrow.”

Ash quickly bowed to him, “Thank you very much.” and left out with his bag in his arm. ‘Wish the old man would build some showers, I would really like to take one before going out.’

Tomorrow was his mother’s birthday, and he had saved up quite a bit of money to buy something good for her. Looking around in the mall, he couldn’t find anything that he liked. But soon he saw a jewelry store, entering inside he got quite a lot of stares. Watching a boy, no more than 17 with scary looks, and training clothes, the clerks were a bit suspicious. But he paid no mind to them, and just started browsing the store. But the store clerks were paying extra bit attention to him, keeping eye on his every move.

‘Can’t they be a bit more subtle in their approach to get me out…..seriously why the fuck are you cleaning now at the end of the day.’ He thought when a store clerk started wiping a showcase which Ash was quite intently staring at. Inside was a necklace with the design of a peacock in silver color with beautiful small gems of different color on the wings.

Ash looked at the store clerk, who was scared out of his wits now thinking he made him angry. But to his relief Ash just said, “How much for this necklace?”

…….

‘Damn all my savings are gone.’ He took out a red gift box from his pocket, and looked at it. ‘But I hope this makes mom happy a little bit.’ He thought to himself smiling.

As the sun had already gone down, it was getting colder. Looking at his watch, he saw that he was already late getting home so he hastened his steps. Ash made his way through alleys, but as he approached one, he saw something that made his blood boil. The sight of the man that had his way with his mother made him lose control. Not only that he was dragging a girl around by her hair, and when Ash looked closer he saw that she was the same girl that had bumped into him in the class.

The boss had 4 other men following him, and they had chosen quite the place as the girl’s cries wouldn’t be heard near this desolate alley. Ash took out his cellphone and called out the police and gave them the location. But he knew that the man would get away one way or another even if he was caught red handed, and even before that Ash had no intention to let him rape another girl. He picked up a nearby rod, and went hiding between crates here and there. He didn’t know whether they had guns or not, so he silently but rapidly made his way to the men. As he closed near them, he jumped out immediately, striking one of the man in the face with so much force the heavy iron pipe bent a little bit. The other man didn’t have the time to register what happened, as Ash again stroke him on the head.

As the two men fell down with a thud, the remaining two moved to action pulling out their handguns, but Ash had already closed the distance. Striking one on the chin with a high kick, he threw the pipe at the other one. As the man began to fall, Ash quickly punched him to make sure he was out cold. The last man whom Ash had thrown the pipe at shot 2 times, one shot hit him in the right arm while the other grazed past him. Ash rolled towards him and as he got up, he quickly punched him in the solar plexus making the thugs eyes roll back while coughing up some saliva mixed with blood.

Ash quickly picked up the pistol, but looking at the boss, he saw him holding the girl from behind pointing the gun at her head.

“Stop there brat or this girl gets the bullet.” He said with bloodshot eyes. He was angry at his men for being so easily taken by a mere kid.

The girl was crying buckets, but as she looked at the boy who had come to save her, her eyes widened from shock. The guy who was known as Demon was trying to save her, it seemed like a lie, but he was in front of her bleeding out from his arm.

“Throw the gun away!!” The boss yelled near her ear which made her flinch, but Ash kept coming closer slowly.

“Didn’t you hear me!! I said throw the gun away and stay there, or she will be dead!!”

As soon as ash was 3 meters away, the boss pointed his gun at Ash shooting 3 times, but Ash threw his gun right at his face. The pain from the gun hitting his face forced him to let the girl go, and Ash saw this chance and quickly closed the distance. Kicking the gun away from his hand, he made an axe kick high above to his face. The man’s legs buckled under him, but Ash didn’t stop there, the rage in him didn’t want to stop. He made a shin kick with his full force as he was dropping to his face. A cracking noise was heard, the mans neck along with his head was bent sideways as he dropped few feet away from his original standing position. Looking closely the man didn’t move a finger; he was dead

Ash suddenly remembered about the girl. Turning his head to the side, she was sitting down looking at him with fear in her eyes.

“Are you alright?” Ash asked slowly. But in return the girl just shook her head and slowly pointed at his chest with her quivering hand.

Ash realizing what she was pointing at, looked down at his chest. The white training uniform was dyed crimson. All the adrenaline rushed out of his body, and he started getting dizzy from the loss of blond.

‘I got shot by that son of a bitch.’ His consciousness was fading in and out, and he suddenly fell onto his knees. The girl watching this quickly ran up to his side trying to support his big body. While crying she called out for help but her little voice made no difference for the dying boy.

‘Hmm mom looks like I won’t make it home today. Sorry I couldn’t do much for you.….’ He placed his hand slowly in his pocket, taking out the red box, and looking at it hazily.

‘Happy Birthday’

Soon all strength left his body, his head hung lifeless, and so did his arms. But his right hand kept on holding the red box which was addressed to his mother.

The crying girl watching this tried to wake him up by shaking him vigorously but she got no response. As the police arrived at the scene, they only heard the sobs coming from a girl kneeling with her arms around a boy’s lifeless head.