Dark, lonely, scary, all of it playfully existing In the depths of Paul's memories, as a chilling moment continues to unfold, to hopefully damage a once stable mind.
As a tense encounter gripped by raw emotions of sorrow clashing with anger, tangling with confusing betrayal.
It was a silent storm raging in the young child's mind, an unresolved past looming large.
In the haunting maze of Paul's memories, we see young Paul trembling with fear in a shadowed alley, his eyes filled with despair, his body frozen.
His eyes wide with horror, as he witnesses his elder brother being forced by an unseen person to repeatedly stab their dad in the chest, tears streaming down his brother's face.
"Please stop, big bro! Can't take it anymore, look at his face!!!" young Paul yelled in desperation.
A heart-wrenching realization looms over Paul as he understands his brother's unwilling suffering,
Forced by a menacing figure to commit this devilish act, Paul, already frozen in fear and unable to do anything, felt overwhelming self-hatred start to boil up.
"Please! I'm begging you, stop it, STOP!!!", Paul's voice quivers with desperation, echoing through the darkness as his cries resonate with overwhelming terror.
His heart races wildly, pounding against his chest like a drum.
"No please," timidly he said as the shock felt like it was gripping him by the neck.
"Move it, you idiot, move your darn leg," young Paul thought, sorrowful tears rolling down his face.
"Wh--Why can't I move my leg, why!!"
"Please move,"
"PLEASE!!!" Yelling with Every syllable ripped from his soul, drenched in fear and helplessness.
The hidden man while still holding onto Paul's brother slowly turns its gaze toward Paul, a devilish grin stretching across its face and sending shivers down Paul's spine.
Paul's breath freezes, horror consuming him, and he is pulled out of his flashback, wishing to remember no more.
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Back to reality, he raised his eyes upward witnessing the same devilish smile on the figure before him, igniting a fierce rage within Paul as he could no longer see reality for what it was, his view distorted to see only him and that man from his past and the one in front of him.
His veins bulged, his fury ignited, and his fist clenched.
"Back then, I was just a helpless kid. Yet you reveled in the pain you caused my dad and brother, enjoying their suffering."
"Why? What satisfaction did you gain from that much evil?" Paul said, shaking from overwhelming rage, his words fueled by years of torment he had gone through.
Veins protruded from his trembling arms, his face contorted into a chilling psychopathic smile.
"Every day, that very moment haunts me like some kind of sick joke, always making me wonder, if going insane is the only way to make you suffer like I did," Paul said, his voice chillingly calm.
"Huh? What the hell do you think you're talking abou_" The man in front of Paul was saying before his words were abruptly interrupted as Paul immediately lunged forward with lightning speed, delivering a swift upward kick that landed on the man's face.
"Argghh!!"
"Huh? Impossible! How did he move so quickly, there is no way he is the same guy I just punched," The man wondered, but before he could react, Paul retracted his kick, landing and springing forward for a devastating jab punch that connected with precision to his side.
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"arghhh!!!,"
The man exclaimed, pushed back in pain.
refusing to fall, the man launched a counter punch towards Paul while Paul wasn't stable on the ground yet.
"You can't dodge this!" The man thought as his punch drew closer to Paul's face.
Without a moment hesitation Paul's skillfully used his hand and the momentum of the punch to twist in the air and counter, delivering a punishing back kick to the man's side.
Pain shot through the man's body, a gasp escaping his mouth as he locked eyes with Paul.
As within Paul's gaze burns a cold intensity, devoid of mercy or restraint, within his eyes deep into the very depth of his soul, was filled with the cold chill of complete darkness.
amplifying the fear that was hidden within the man, coursing through the man's veins.
Paul didn't relent, his strikes and blows landing with precision and purpose. The scene unfolded like an unhinged and unforgiving storm of fists and kicks.
As his punches echoed with the weight of desperation and anger, driven solely by an overwhelming hatred.
As the man, unconscious, started to fall onto to ground.
Paul without a moment hesitation seized the opportunity, jumping up and then proceeding to land his feet on the man's chest and with an overwhelming force, slamming the man onto the ground with unrelenting fury.
His blows continued to rain down like a tsunami, the sounds of impact vibrated through the space, and each strike carried the weight of Paul's relentless anger.
"You don't get to escape! Stay awake!" Paul shouted, his voice filled with despair as he continued his relentless attacks, tears streaming down his face.
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"Paul, he's already knocked out! Calm down! He's not the one from that day. Look at him!" Alen yelled, holding Paul's hand to stop him from punching again.
"Shit, look at this mess. I should have stopped him in time," Alen thought, looking over at the bloody mess around the man's face and then turning to see a completely broken-down Paul, his eyes burning with no light.
"Paul!! Stop!" Alen's urgent voice pierced through Paul's intense state, finally snapping him out of it.
"Shit who got the cops involved," Leo said quietly at the side.
"Guys, let's move! The cops are coming!" Leo shouted.
"Come help me pick up Paul Tobi!," Alen yelled out.
"Sure, was already coming anyway," Tobi replied, moving and then picking up Paul and running.
"Move everyone," Alen commanded as he ran after Tobi, and everyone going a different path.
Immediately after a while, the cops arrived there and nobody found.
Only the passed out bodies of fifty-one beaten-up boys could be found, and a critically injured body, leaving the police in confusion.
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"Ring, ring,", one of the cops quickly made a call.
the person immediately picked up, as a young soft lady's voice answered saying.
"What the hell do you want," the lady said.
"General Nicole, there's trouble. We need you here, urgently," the officer said with urgency.
"Well can't you handle it by yourself, am busy now," the young lady replied.
"Sorry ma, but it involves a lot of beaten-up boys, seems to be a gang fight, and I thought you might be interested," the police officer said.
"Ok, I'll be there soon," the lady said cutting the call.
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Later, atop a building, the group gathered under the beautiful view of the evening sky.
"Hey Paul, hey Paul, snap out of it already," Alen kept saying while slapping Paul on the face.
"Ouch! Why are you doing that?" Paul said, touching his cheeks.
"Well, what else do you expect me to do, when you don't want to snap out of, it you've been quiet for a while now," Alen said, with a hint of worry in his voice.
"sigh!, sorry guys I shouldn't have blacked out, in front of you like that, I don't even know what got into me. All I just felt at that point was just the urge to beat the crap out of that guy since his smile was seriously pissing me off, Well, that's all in the past now, so nothing to worry about, he he," Paul said in a tired voice but soon moved to force a smile.
"He's faking that darm smile again, geez!!, Let me not just bother him now," Alen said internally pinching his nose bridge out of frustration.
"No problem Paul just don't go out on us like that again alright and at the least let us help out next time please, we are all in this gang together, so if you need any help just call," Lola said looking at Paul, her eyes raised with concern, as she could still sense his lie.
"Hey, rest up, it's the new year after all. So don't go kill yourself," Leo quipped, sarcasm covering his concern. "Who wants to start the year off with a dramatic exit? Save that for April Fools' or something."
"Darm!!, So cool, Paul! How did you do that, you've got to tell me, you've just got to tell me!" Kazuto kept saying, repeating himself in his excited state.
"SMARK!"
"Shut up you dumbass, can't you see the state he's in?" Tobi said, smacking the side of Kazuto's head.
"Sorry Paul," Kazuto said guiltily.
"We're all going now. Thanks for the ice cream Saturday though, we'll see you later man," Leo said as the remaining four left after saying their farewells, leaving Alen and Paul alone.
"Sigh!!!!," Paul sighed laying down facing towards to beautiful sky as the moment of silence elapsed.
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"Want to head to the park and unwind a bit?" Alen asked relaxedly, gesturing his hand towards Paul.
"sigh!! Sure, I don't even know what to do anymore, am a bit confused, but I think I can still find a plan to stop all this pain, and this time not even reality can stop me."
"And I guess the park seems like the safest spot to chill around here, what could possibly go wrong," Paul agreed, smiling as he picked himself up with Alen hand, and started to walk away with Alen toward the serene park, both hoping for a moment of respite amidst the unrelenting chaos of their lives.
"Paul, I guess your still holding back on us. I Can't really figure out why, but I'll still wait patiently until you're ready to tell us everything. After all, not only I, but the other Five are all in this gang for you," Alen said internally, his gaze fixed on Paul as they descended from the rooftop, heading towards the greenly illuminated park.
"'THE SEVEN RECKLESS CRIMSONS,' kinda funny name though, although true it has been almost 2 years since we formed this gang so we don't lose connection with each other, and most especially we don't lose contact with you, but it still seems your as distant as always,"
"And I don't blame you though, although I may not know the full Truth of what happened to you in the past, I and everyone else want to do all we can so we can help you out, even if it means we get ourselves in dangerous situation,"
"we'll all find a way together, because we're friends and although am not sure about the others you're my closest friend, so I really wish you could see me that way too,"
"But regardless that, being with you and the others has been the best ride of my life," Alen admitted, his thoughts and tone sincere yet filled with worry.
"I just Hope you may one day feel the same way too, Paul." Alen thought once more as they finally arrived on the road
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"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Paul's mind raced as the haunting image of that man's face flashed before his eyes. He could feel the weight of destiny closing in.
"He's coming back. It's only a matter of time," Paul thought, his jaw tightening with grim determination.
His expression darkened as he clenched his fists, the resolve burning in his eyes.
"I won't fail again. Not this time." He said with every step, his resolve solidified.
"I'll protect my friends and family and find my brother, no matter the cost," Paul vowed silently.
"Even if it means getting killed—or killing to do so," his thoughts whispered harshly against the wind.
As he and Alen walked away, the intensity of his promise hung in the air, an unspoken challenge to the fate that awaited them and the darkness of his life well hidden like the shadow behind him. The battle was coming, and Paul was ready to face it head-on.