"Did you hear the news? A couple of gangsters were all killed in Rael's neighbourhood last week."
"Do you really think he did it?"
Gossips.
"I don't know, he did shout out in class like that last week. Some say it was revenge for killing his sister."
"I hear he laughed as he strangled them with his bare hands."
Why do you have to say that?
"Scary. We better stay away from him."
"Who knew we had such a creep in our class?"
You all talk too much.
"What do you mean? Rael's always been a weird one."
"I just hope he doesn't go and kill someone else here."
I just want to sleep.
Ever since that day, Rael had simply retreated into himself even more, not speaking to anyone. Not even Vanessa.
He had stayed at home for several days before finally deciding to come to school.
'What a bother.'
I'd rather be reading manga.
Ness had tried to talk to him on several occasions, but he always walked past her without saying anything.
What was there to say?
"R...l."
Nothing.
"R...el, w...k...up"
Everything was okay.
"Rael!"
He suddenly jerked awake as he looked up from his desk. A blonde girl with soft grey eyes was standing above his desk, staring at him blankly with something resembling discomfort barely hidden on her face.
"We need to talk. Roof."
Rael just stared at her blankly and watched as she turned and left without another word. As her figure disappeared through the hallway, he sighed and stood up.
To use the bathroom.
He was tired, both mentally and physically form the past week. He hadn't slept at all this past week, simply reading, which may have not been the best idea considering the intense constant headache he had experienced ever since his sister's death.
Ignoring the many wary stares given to him, he simply dragged himself over to the door that led up to the roof.
CRREEAK~
He winced as the bright sunlight hit his eyes, stunning him for a bit.
Chloe was already waiting.
'Ah, that's right. I had a girlfriend too.'
He had almost forgotten. They hadn't really done couple stuff together despite being in a relationship for over a year. But, to be fair, it was mostly his fault. He just didn't really see the point in all that kind of stuff. He had and still thought it was honestly just a bother.
Still, he wondered what she wanted to talk about. He spotted her gazing down at the sports field with a wistful, innocent-looking smile on her face.
She was just the same as always.
The same pretentious spoiler rich girl.
"Hey, Chlo."
She smiled slightly but took a slight step back as he took a step towards her.
"Hello, R-rael." She said plainly, yet her voice sounded slightly nervous for some reason.
"Is there some reason why you wanted to meet me here?"
She remained silent for a moment before letting out a deep exhale. As she opened her eyes, they lost all warmth in them and she simply said the exact words he had expected.
"I think we should break up."
"Well, sure. Alright." Rael simply shrugged and turned around.
"I know the timing might be a litt- wait, what?! What do you mean sure?" She momentarily lost her composure before smoothening it down and trying to keep a straight face.
He looked over his shoulder and smiled slightly.
"Don't pretend. It wasn't gonna work out either way. Now, if there's nothing else you would like to discuss..."
She gritted her teeth as he turned away to go back down.
But suddenly, in the middle of the doorway, he paused and turned his head to look at her, his eyes suddenly cold as ice.
"Will did it, didn't he?" He said coldly.
Chloe suddenly flinched as she took a few steps back, her hand hovered slightly over her side.
Rael chuckled darkly, his voice trembling slightly at the end.
"It's not that surprising."
"Rael... let's just talk about this. I-i can pay you."
Rael's face changed briefly, flashing with something indescribably cold. Then he closed the door and left her there.
Rael simply went back to class...and kept reading.
The hours ticked by until it was time to leave.
He didn't wait for detention. He simply walked past the room indifferently and took a different path home through a series of dimly-lit alleyways.
Before long, he felt a drop of rain on his face. Then another. Then it was pouring grey drops again.
He paused and looked up at the grey sky above, not minding that his clothes were soaked, clinging to his skin.
He didn't know how long he just stood there, staring at the grey clouds above as the rain beat down mercilessly upon him.
Behind him, he heard the footfalls of several men coming closer to him.
He sighed deeply as a shadow seemed to pass over his eyes.
He muttered something under his breath, too low for the assailants to hear.
Turning to the men trying to ambush him, he simply set his bag down and crouched.
"Eighteen this time." He was being surrounded on all sides by muscular thugs with wicked smiles on their faces, all wearing red bandanas with some wielding weapons such as metal bats or wooden poles, one even had a dagger which he spun in one hand.
He raised a brow as he casually picked up a few items from his bag, ignoring the encirclement.
"Hey kid, you're in our way. Move before you get hurt." A tall, muscular man with a claw tattoo along his neck growled as he stood blocking the path forward.
Rael didn't even bother to look up as he put on a black nose mask and cap. This naturally infuriated the man as he walked up to Rael, staring down at him.
"You little punk. I'm talking to yo-"
SQUELCH ~
The man froze mid-word before screaming as he noticed a black rod lodged in his nether.
"Motherfuc-BANG!"
Another rod slammed into the side of his face, sending him crashing into the alley wall.
"You worthless pigs what are you waiting for, get him! I sweat i'm gonna fucking kill you!"
His face had turned a shade of purple as he screamed at his goons while clutching his broken jewels, a slight trail of blood weaving a line of red on his face
Rael flicked the sharpened black rod in his left hand to the side sharply before making it stop mid-air. A small spurt of blood and a slight fluid sprayed onto the floor before getting washed away by the rain.
He dead eyes suddenly flashed with irritation as he sidestepped the swing of a brown-haired boy wielding a wooden plank while strapping one of the rods to the side of his trousers.
He recognised the kid with asthma from school.
He grabbed a fist-full of his hair with his free hand and dragged it down, kneeing him hard in the chest and knocking the air of of him.
Right before he body even landed, another two came running in with metal bats. He simply deflected one of the bats with his rod and shifted slightly to the side, letting the second pass before spinning to slam the rod into the back of his skull, causing an audible cracking sound to echo. The other tried to swing at him again but Rael simply thrust the rod forward, piercing through the side of his stomach before kicking him in the chest, causing him to clutch at his abdomen in pain.
The edge of Rael's mouth twitched slightly.
More.
One tried to sneak up on him behind the stabbed gangster while holding a pocket knife forward.
Rael took a half-step backward, leaning slightly backward before moving his hand quickly forward towards the blade.
Right before it pierced him, he pinched it between his fingers and dragged it forwards quickly, causing it to slip from his grip. Without missing a beat, he slammed the rod in his other hand on the gangster's head, causing him to fall flat on the ground, pathetically knocked out.
Rael simply stood slightly slumped as he looked down at the mostly-unconscious bodies sprawled at his feet.
This made the others pause for a moment as they looked at him with shock, like a beast finding it's prey to merely be a shell for a true predator. And under the dim grey lights that managed to find their way into the alley. He looked like a genuine demon.
Somebody cursed nervously.
Rael turned slowly to face their direction before pointing with the point-tipped rod.
"Come."
"You bastard...!
One of them gripped his bat harder until his knuckles turned white before rushing in.
"Don't fuck with me!"
Rael smiled under his mask.
And slammed the second weapon on his shoulder close to his neck.
The thugs who were about to move forward stopped in their tracks, their morale shaken.
"Heh."
The weapon used on the red-haired one was just a simple crowbar, yet it was obvious the guy wouldn't be getting back up again.
More!
"Hahahaha!"
Give me more!
His eyes were blazing with a fire of madness in them as the mask fell away to reveal a massive grin on his face.
"This little isn't nearly enough. Give me a good fight, Assholes!"