The vile laughter of the thieves echoed through the narrow, shadowed alley, as if even the stone walls mocked Sudais's fragile existence. One of them, reeking of sweat and alcohol, stepped forward. A sinister smirk twisted his face as he said, trembling with anticipation:
"Kid… don't get yourself all worked up. Don't be sad… all I need is to pluck those shining eyes of yours and sell them for a good price! Then you won't have to worry about anything. So don't struggle!"
The others' cackles pierced Sudais's ears like a thousand knives. Trembling from both anger and fear, he growled:
"Damn you… who gave you the guts for this?"
Suddenly, the cold grip of reality smothered the flames of his fury. An involuntary shiver ran through him. In his mind, he screamed: How did I end up here? That night, I survived purely by luck… but here…
His gaze fell on the one who had deceived him into this trap. Rage surged again: Damn you!
One of the thieves lunged at him with a raised fist. Sudais, guided by instinct he didn't even know he possessed, dodged. The thief shouted furiously:
"Stop, or you'll regret it, kid!"
The cold steel of a knife glinted an inch from Sudais's face. In the last moment, he grabbed the attacker's wrist, exerting all his strength to halt the blade. If I hadn't been careless… With a burst of force, he threw the man backward.
Before he could catch his breath, two others charged from either side. If… I had focused…
A heavy blow hit his jaw. The bitter taste of blood filled his mouth, and he staggered back. He tried to advance, but a sharp kick from another sent him sprawling.
"You'll regret this…"
Shaking, Sudais rose, fists clenched, but the thieves descended upon him like ravenous hyenas. A storm of punches and kicks rained on his head and body until he could no longer stand. Cold, unfeeling, he collapsed onto the ground.
One thief leaned close.
"Get up, brat! Move it!"
Sudais didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on the dirt and blood beneath him. The thief sneered:
"Huh! Aren't I right here? Get up!"
The other two, bored, said:
"Don't waste time. Finish him."
The one above Sudais smiled wickedly:
"Go on, kid. Be gone."
Sudais didn't lift his head. In the darkness of his mind, thoughts lashed him like whips:
Why here? Why am I such a disgrace?
The thief raised his dagger.
Why such absolute weakness? Why?! You're nothing, Sudais! You couldn't even defend your own life!
The blade reached its apex.
Why couldn't you? Why? Because you were weak… in every way, weak!
The thief shouted:
"Die, worthless!"
And brought the dagger down with all his might.
But in that fraction of a second, time seemed to stop. The thief's eyes bulged. Sudais, holding the man's wrist with one hand, froze it midair. A deadly silence fell over the alley. Sudais lifted his gaze. Those eyes… no longer the trembling, vulnerable ones. A cold, lethal light radiated from the depths of his pupils.
The thief recoiled in horror, pulling back and striking again:
"Looks like you're still not human!"
Sudais's eyes snapped up. The man froze. With speed unseen to the human eye, Sudais rose, thrusting his hand toward the thief's face. In one savage motion, he seized the man's jaw and crushed it without hesitation.
The thief was flung backward, groaning in pain. Another, trembling, pulled out a gun and aimed at Sudais. But in a blink, Sudais crossed ten meters. Before the man could pull the trigger, Sudais pressed the barrel under his own chin.
Bang!
The shot rang out, followed by a lifeless body collapsing.
Sudais's gaze met the next thief. The man shook violently, as if a wave of death and madness had passed through him. With a single, precise punch, Sudais slammed him against the wall until he went unconscious.
Now, only the traitor remained — the one who had deceived him. Trembling, soaked in his own fear, the man crawled on the ground.
"Mercy… please! I have a wife and child!"
Sudais stood over him, calm and unyielding, like the Angel of Death. A voice as cold as the abyss spoke:
"Did it ever occur to you that I have a family too when you tried to kill me?"
The man tried to beg further, but the gaze of Sudais allowed no mercy. Only absolute darkness.
Sudais whispered:
"To kill filth like you, I need no emotion."
A flash of steel… and the alley fell silent.
He glanced back. The alley, once filled with drunken laughter, had become a silent slaughterhouse. The lifeless bodies sprawled among dark pools of blood were the only witnesses to the awakening of that terrifying power. Sudais moved without a tremor, melting into the shadowed night.
He returned home stealthily. Every step felt like carrying lead through his body. Carefully, he climbed through the window into his room, unseen. He knew a storm awaited tomorrow, but for now, all he wanted was to sink into the absolute darkness of sleep.
Morning came with the sting of his wounds. Rising from bed felt like moving a mountain. Slowly, he pushed himself upright and walked out with a grimace.
In the hall, the gaze of his mother, sister, and father locked onto him. Heavy silence hung until his mother's muffled scream broke it:
"Sudais! What happened? Why are you covered in blood?"
David, Sudais's father, stood, eyes sharp and worried. Sudais knew the truth would shatter the family's peace forever. He forced a bitter smile and let the lie fall from his lips:
"It's nothing… last night I got into an argument with some thugs over a trivial matter. The fight escalated, and since there were multiple of them, I was caught off guard. Just a few punches and kicks, that's all."
His father asked anxiously:
"And your injuries? The wounds haven't reopened?"
Sudais placed a hand on his side:
"It stings a bit, but it's nothing serious."
The family insisted, but he was immediately taken for a medical check.
That afternoon, they gathered at home. The TV flickered on, David carefully following the news. Suddenly, the anchor spoke urgently:
"Breaking news: Three bodies have been found in the back alleys of Siyah-Gard Street. According to the forensic report, two were brutally killed, and the third sustained severe injuries to the jaw and mouth, in critical condition. The victims belonged to a dangerous human organ trafficking gang. Police are trying to communicate with the sole survivor, who has lost the ability to speak."
Dafid, bewildered, shifted the remote.
"Just up this street! Could one person really have done this alone?"
His mother, pouring tea, said fearfully:
"Safety has no meaning anymore. Dafid return from work early. Sudais, Selina! You are not allowed to stay out late, understood?"
Selina nodded nervously. Sudais, staring at the screen, felt chaos in his chest.
How could I be so careless? I left one alive…
He clenched his fists under the table. Despite the risk of exposure, a strange sense of satisfaction lingered: he had saved his family from those predators.
Sudais whispered:
"Yes, Mom… I'll be careful."
Later, he went to the bathroom. Cold water ran over his bruised body, washing away the dried blood. But the chill could not extinguish the fire raging deep inside him.
As he dried his hair with a towel, memories replayed like a cinematic reel: the crushing of the thief's jaw, the traitor's trembling hands, the deathly silence… all vivid.
He stood before the mirror, fog curling softly over the glass. Clearing a part with his hand, he stared at his reflection. His eyes… no longer the gaze of a weak, suffering boy. In a tone that even he shivered at, he whispered to his reflection, as if speaking to fate itself:
If the world wants to devour me… first, I will devour the world.