Some people are scum. Aiden Ross learned this the hard way after losing his parents at eleven years old. Hannah—his sister, who was four years older than him—was the only real family he still had. As for their uncle, who became their guardian? Aiden didn't consider this piece of garbage as a person, let alone a relative.
When Aiden found Uncle Elliot molesting his sister at her most vulnerable moment, the boy knew that he needed to protect her no matter the cost. Even if it meant blackmailing their guardian with photos that could get him in prison.
Even as an eleven-year-old, Aiden was more mentally developed than his peers. He knew about sex, about abuse, and what happened to those adults caught with a naked kid in their bed. So Aiden only needed to wait until their uncle was soundly asleep, then take off his own clothes and make a nasty photo with his smartphone. Crying his eyes out beforehand wasn't easy but served as a nice addition to the image of a poor victim.
Still a child, Aiden prepared himself for the confrontation with this scary adult who had made his sister suffer. He expected to be shouted at, even to be hit, but those actions would only make things worse for Uncle Elliot. Instead, the middle-aged man in question showed Aiden the most pathetic sight he'd ever seen.
Elliot Ross fell on his knees and, with teary eyes, begged his nephew for forgiveness. He was scared shitless about what would happen to him if the images were shared with the authorities. Aiden couldn't help but wonder why he had ever been afraid of such a waste.
Since then, despite still living at the same place, Hannah and Aiden barely interacted with their uncle. And at the girl's sixteen birthday, the two of them moved on back to their parents' home. Though Elliot Ross still was their guardian in name, in practice, he was just paying their bills.
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Dealing with their scummy uncle was just a part of what made Aiden into the person he would eventually become. Another part was his classmates. When he was twelve, three of them decided that the sickly-looking Aiden was a perfect target for their bullying. They were wrong.
It took the three boys only one attempt to realize that someone who was ready to break your nose just for insulting him and slapping his neck wasn't a good target. But just because they let go of Aiden didn't mean that he was going to let go of them. He wasn't the first person they tried to bully, but he would be the last.
Aiden could ignore them bossing around other people, but how could he forgive those who had attempted to humiliate him? After school hours, he gathered four boys and one girl who had been victims of the brazen trio. Additionally, he also called two of the biggest boys in their class who were a neutral party. With some convincing and bribery—as a top student, he had some leverage—they reluctantly agreed to his plan. With this, the tables were turned.
Before they knew it, the three bullies turned into the bullied ones. Soon enough, the rest of the class, fed up with the trio's behavior, joined Aiden and his group in terrorizing the former despots. Eventually, two of the three boys were forced to change schools, and the last one became a shell of his former arrogant self. Did Aiden care about their fate, though? Obviously not.
Some people are scum, Aiden concluded one day. And I'll become the worst of them if it means protecting Hannah and myself.
Even as a high school graduate, Aiden Ross considered their world a cruel place. But little did he know that the real Hell was waiting for humanity just around the corner.
[Omniverse Link On...]
[Initiating System...]
Those words would change everything for Aiden...and for Earth.