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Neo-Tokyo sprawled out beneath a sky choked by smog, an amorphous sprawl of flashing neon and skyscrapers that stabbed at the darkness like jagged teeth. The smell of rain-soaked asphalt hung in the air, together with the faraway drone of machinery, a constant reminder of the technological marvels of advancement that existed alongside the misery of the streets below. The luxuries of corporate towers cast long shadows over the decaying leftovers of the past, where forgotten and desperate individuals struggled to survive in alleys and backstreets.
In the middle of this jungle was an orphanage-what used to be a decent building, now run down. Inside, the weight would be unmet dreams and the cries of children who, quite a long while back, had learned to look after themselves. Among them was Kael, an eight-year-old kid with big, innocent eyes that masked the darkness brewing inside his tiny body. He carried with himself a past never experienced by him, one of another world of wonder and adventure, where he used to be a celebrated adventurer. Here, in this cruel world, he was just one of many orphans fighting to stay alive.
He was also a prisoner in his mind, an adult squeezed into the body of a child. Every day was grueling work to put up with, acting helpless and unworldly all day long. What he hated most was the pitying looks, the somewhat condescending tone used by adults every time they spoke to him. "They think I'm stupid," he thought, his gaze cold as stone. "They see only what I allow them to see.".
Kael sat in a corner of the orphanage, his slight figure perched precariously on the edge of a worn wooden bench. He watched the other children and their loud, noisy games that continued to grate on him-the petty quarrels, the laughing, the carefree happiness-all rubbed salt into a wound that never seemed to stop bleeding. They were all so blind, oblivious to the cruel world which would confront them at every turn. He, though, saw things with an unsettling coherence. He knew the world was a dangerous place, a survival-of-the-fittest game where only the weak got devoured at one's whim. And he was determined not to be of that lot.
His immediate problem, a constant gnawing hunger, had a name: Riku. The bully, larger and older, took especial care to make Kael miserable-stealing his food, pushing him around, reveling in his petty displays of power. Kael had tried to ignore him, tried to avoid confrontation, but Riku took his silence as weakness.
He'll learn soon enough, Kael thought, cold smile playing on his lips.
Tonight, he would show Riku a lesson. For good.
It was not as if Kael wanted to hurt Riku. Never, really. But he knew full well that survival often requires drastic measures. And here, day after remorseless day, Riku bullied him ceaselessly, chipping away at the meager store of resources Kael felt himself to possess. He was a danger, an obstruction to Kael's ability to survive the jail of his childhood.
Kael had a plan. Desperate was the risk, but desperation has a way of focusing the mind, setting wills. He wouldn't be reckless; he couldn't afford that. He would use the shadows-his allies in this world of forced innocence-to his advantage.
The storage room was always unlocked and dark, and it would be his stage. He'd take Riku there with the promise of more "stolen goods," a treasury of confiscated toys that would be used as bait. And then…
Then we play a game, Kael thought, the dangerous light that danced in his eyes.
The holographic interface flickered in the eye of his mind, ghostly residue of his past life as a adventurer, now coveted by his heart.
[Mission: Eliminate Target - Riku]
[Objective: Use stealth to approach and execute the target.]
[Reward: +100 Experience Points, +1 Skill Point]
He had chosen Archery before. A decision he didn't regret. The knowing of combat was a needed skill in a world where violence was often the only understood language. But this time, something felt different. The urgency, the desperation… it had awoken something primeval in him, a cold, calculating ruthlessness that chilled him to the core.
He wouldn't hesitate this time.
This wasn't some fairyland of his last life, where death was just a setback, an irritant. This was Neo-Tokyo, and the penalties for death were real. And he-a child to the letter of the law-would suffer greatly for any misstep. He would have to be more careful, clever.
He would make it look like an accident. A sad, unlucky accident.
As for the long run, he had to get out of this orphanage.
But before that came Riku. Tonight, the game started.
The air in the orphanage hung thickly in humid stillness that night, a precursor to some storm that was coming. Outside, winds howled and shook the old windows. Inside, Kael sat on his cot, lost in thought, it seemed. His mind raced, a whirlwind of calculation, weighing each step of his plan.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
His gaze wandered to the closet at the far end of the dormitory. He'd spent weeks watching the staff, their careless routines, their patterns so predictable. They seldom locked the closet, assuming the harsh chemicals would pose little threat to children used to a hard life. Kael, however, saw the gold in their carelessness. He knew that these chemicals, in most cases mixed without care by worn-out staff, could be weaponized.
This wasn't about silencing Riku; this was about control in a world that had always sought to control him. This was about proving he wasn't just another helpless orphan. He was different. He was dangerous.
With a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face, it was time to teach Riku a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.
The next morning, he set his plan in motion. He put on an air of false desperation in front of Riku, faking his innocence as he pulled on the older boy's sleeve. "Riku," he whispered, "I. I lost Mr. Tanaka's special eraser. The one he uses for the board. He'll be so mad! He said he'd punish the whole dorm if it wasn't found. Please, you gotta help me!"
Riku didn't let the opportunity to play big brother pass him by, apt to order the little siblings around. He sneered, "What's in it for me, runt?"
Kael smiled wider, flashing a glint of guile in his eyes. "I saw something really cool in the cleaning closet yesterday. Something you might want. It could be our secret."
Greed, base and predictable, danced in his eyes. Riku followed Kael, his curiosity overcoming suspicion. They stepped into the closet, heavy with acrid fumes of bleach and ammonia. Kael slammed the door shut behind them, burying them in darkness.
"What is it? Where is it?" Riku insisted, his voice echoing in the confined space.
Kael leaned against the door, tucking his chin against his chest as a low, rumbling chuckle emanated from him. "Patience, Riku. You'll see soon enough."
He dropped to his knees, small hands stirring with quick motions as he grasped bottles of cleansers-bleach, ammonia. Years of watching the staff, listening to their cautious warnings about lethal combinations, had branded a rough sense of chemical reactions into his mind. He began combining them-the pungent fumes thickened into a noxious fog. Kael quickly scuttled out of the closet and slammed the door shut behind him. Working quickly, he pulled a wooden block out of his pocket and wedged the door stop under the door, trapping the larger boy inside.
Riku coughed, his eyes watering. "What are you doing?" he sputtered, fear creeping into his voice. "It stinks! Open the door!"
Kael pressed against the door with all his weight, keeping it firmly shut. And then he waited, contented, as Riku, trapped and powerless, began to panic.
"Don't worry, Riku," he said, all calm as the panic mounted. "It's just a little game. I call it 'disappearing act'. You go first."
Riku's body pounded against the door, his screams strangled by the dense wood. "Let me out! I can't breathe!"
Kael spread his slight frame up against the door, an amazingly successful obstruction. He could almost feel Riku's contorted face, the screams weakening at every passing minute. He didn't feel any remorse, but a cold sense of satisfaction.
This was working.
The holographic interface, a detached observer to the unfolding drama, flickered to life in his mind's eye.
Riku's pounding grew weaker, his desperate pleas reduced to choking gasps. Kael held his breath; the fumes were starting to burn his own eyes, but he held his ground, his resolve never wavering. This was his game, and he would not cede control until it was done.
Finally, silence.
Kael waited, counting the seconds, his heart pounding a steady rhythm against his ribs. He cracked open the door, peering inside into the dark. Riku lay motionless upon the floor, face pale and chest still.
Kael sucked in deeply, feeling the cool air burn his lungs. He stepped over Riku's body, careful not to disturb the scene. He closed the closet door, leaving Riku entombed in his makeshift gas chamber. It would look like a tragic accident, another casualty of life in the underfunded, overcrowded orphanage.
He turned and vanished, leaving behind the choking smell of chemicals and death, a wraith melting into the darkness. The holographic interface flickered its last message .
[Mission Complete: +100 Experience Points Gained]
[Class Selection Available: Choose Class - Hacker, Assassin, or Crafter]
A wave of anticipation washed over Kael. This was it. The moment he had been waiting for. The system, silent since that fateful day at the orphanage, was finally acknowledging his progress, offering him a path, a purpose. His fingers shook as, with a mind sharp as a laser, he reached out mentally.
[Class Selected: Assassin]
A dark and exhilarating surge of power swept through him, the primordial awakening of something in his soul. This was the calling, that one path that so perfectly aligned with the darkness already sown within his being.
He knew he had to turn himself into a weapon, silent hunter, master of death. He would embrace the shadows, hone his skills, and become the instrument of vengeance. The world, be it the neon-lit streets of Neo-Tokyo or the virtual battlegrounds of cyberspace, would cower in front of him.