Kairos looked at the piece of paper in Prikans hand, then at Prikans expression, then back at the piece of paper again.

"A military summons? Goddamnit Prikan."

Prikan sheepishly grinned, like a child who had been caught breaking a vase.

"I consulted your father Prikan, he said this would be the best thing for you. Even if you don't see it now, you'll love the military. And ultimately it'll be good for you, so I don't really care what you have to say against it."

"When will father arrive?"

"In about three days. If you have anything you need to take care of before that, now is the time to do so."

Glancing towards the vials in Kairos' pocket, almost translucent except for a faint wisp of darkness swirling, he added "and from the looks of it, you do have some business to take care of."

That I do, Prikan, that I do.

Odd, why do those vials seem so... familiar? And why do I feel scared looking at them?

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Early next morning, sitting on his bed, vials in his hands, Kairos inspected the contents of each vial. Each of them were ordinary enough, seeming to be empty vials, but staring at them for too long left Kairos with heart palpitations and a sense of excitement, coming not from Kairos' plans with the vials but the vials themselves. They seemed to be whispering to some inner urge of Kairos, something deep within him. Not that Kairos was aware of this, of course. He couldn't detect his own cryptic, primal thoughts.

Flipping through his notebook, which contained what seemed to be the scribblings of a madman, Kairos sunk into his bed.

Now it's just time to wait. They'll come by soon enough,

And just as predicted, they came by. The group of lackeys that had tormented Kairos for the past few months ever since he pissed off their so called lord.

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"Where you tryna go, huh?"

A fat, overweight and overly youthful child with a sneer on his face stepped forward, blocking Kairos's path down the alley. Marcus, the son of the town lord, stood before him, his round belly straining against the buttons of his fancy silk vest. Despite his plump figure, there was a mischievous glint in his eyes that hinted at the cunning and cruelty he possessed.

Marcus's pudgy cheeks flushed with a mix of exertion and arrogance as he tried to assert his authority over Kairos. His blonde hair was slicked back, accentuating his chubby face, and his double chin jiggled slightly with each word he spoke. He was dressed in lavish clothing, a stark contrast to his physical appearance, which only emphasized his privilege and his lack of concern for those beneath him.

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

He held himself with a false sense of superiority, attempting to compensate for his lack of physical prowess with his father's influence. His lackeys, a group of sycophantic followers, giggled and snickered behind him, eager to please their portly leader.

Marcus's reputation among the townspeople was far from admirable. He was known for his cruel pranks, taking pleasure in humiliating and belittling others. His wealth and connections shielded him from any consequences, allowing him to freely indulge in his sadistic tendencies.

And now Kairos had ran into him.

With a nasally voice that grated on the ears, Marcus taunted Kairos, relishing in the power he wielded as the town lord's son

"Hm? This is our area dingus, fuck off"

"Cmon, I'm just tryna go to the market to buy some food."

His lackeys joined in the verbal taunts.

"Yeah, fuck off"

"Who the fuck are you to step in our area? Try to get past us huh pussy."

One of the lackeys stared at Kairos, realizing who he was,

"Hey, isn't that the kid with no mom? Whose mom couldn't handle how sucky he was and died? Father gone too."

Kairos, who before had just been waiting for the torment to end, tensed up. He knew he shouldn't let himself be enraged by them-- they'd let him go if they got bored.

But alas, he failed in his control.

Cocking his fist back, he hurled it towards Marcus, catching the fat little pig off guard and landing a solid blow on his pudgy face.

Silence overtook the alleyway for a moment. And then all hell broke loose.

The sounds of a fragile body being hit over and over again and the cries of a child overtook the alley as Kairos curled up into a ball, trying to protect himself.

Marcus, picking himself up off the ground with gasping breaths, glared at Kairos.

"That's enough for now. But we'll be back later. And we won't stop."

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Shaking his head, Kairos snapped out of the past.

With a devilish grin, he stepped outside of the house, vials in hand.

"Huh, good timing to see you Kairos" one of the boys, named Gale, exclaimed. Gale was Marcus' right hand man, and was the lead of the pack of tormentors.

The boys encircled Kairos, like sharks surrounding a crippled seal.

"You guys sure you wanna do this? I don't think you want to fuck with me today. One last chance."

A look of pure mirth passed over Gale.

"Huh? HAHAHAHAAHHA. Whatever you say. Don't worry, it'll be over soon enough once Marcus' dad consolidates more of the town underneath him. Then, nothing can stop him from doing whatever he wants."

Gale strutted up to Kairos, but just as the first blow was about to connect, Kairos opened up a vial and threw it at Gale.

"Huh? You were so confident because you could throw glass at me?" Gale grunted, removing shards of glass from his skin, which had been barely affected by the glass.

Fuck, did the vials not do anything? Should I have poisoned them over time? Did I make the formula incorrectly? Is there not enough?

"Well, just for that, I think I'll ask Marcus if we can extend your sentence a little bit."

The boys around Gale were turning wide-eyed with fear looking at Gale.

"Gale, look at your legs" one managed to choke out.

Gale, finally looking at his body, had an expression of primal fear cross his face.

His legs were disappearing-- and yet he couldn't feel anything. And he still didn't feel anything when, seconds later, the rest of his body also disappeared. Gale was no more.