3 Amber
A/N Last chapter, I overlooked a small detail. I forgot to add the EXP part to the system display. To save you time, he is currently at Level 1 [2/25 EXP]. Apologies for my mistake.
The sun shined on a young boy's face as he winced from the bright light. A new day has started, and an old hell will continue.
Rhys had to go to school again.
He had to go back to that place again.
The place he despised with all his heart.
Rhys yawned, got up from his bed, and began his typical routine. Get up, brush his teeth, eat breakfast, then take the bus to school.
It was not that his parents were too poor to take him by car. It was not that they didn't have the time to, either. In fact, his family was quite wealthy, and they had plenty of time to spare to take him to school.
They just wanted him to "Do things by himself" and "Be more mature".
Whatever. It was not like Rhys wanted a ride with his parents anyways.
Rhys sat in the back of the bus, while most of the popular kids sat in the front to get out first. He stayed in the back with the rest of the outcasts.
Yes, even in the future, they had buses and cars.
Rhys always stayed quiet. He never even dared to utter a single word, just like the kids who sat with him. Looking at them always made him reminisce about his childhood.
When he was much younger, he always felt superior to them in a sense. He was groomed and praised by peers, and family—everyone who was around him liked him. He even liked himself.
He was absorbed into their constant babbling. It was like a siren's song to his ears, and it only fed his growing ego.
He was naive and drowned himself in it.
It only stopped when it all came crashing down. From the moment of your birth to when you reached the age of 10, the chances of you awakening during that time were very high. It was dubbed 'The Golden Time'.
After the age of 10, the chances of awakening became extremely slim, almost impossible, and it only got worse as you aged.
Even during his golden years, he always felt something deep within him.
He always felt a bit unpleasant. And that feeling stuck with him. He never felt truly happy.
Only when he awakened did he feel 'happiness'. But, that nagging feeling still stuck.
While on the bus, his chances of getting picked on were significantly less. They were in a moving vehicle and most kids are busy talking to their friends, too busy to bother picking on random kids. The trip almost acted like an intermission period between the two hells. The first one being his home, the second one being school.
But he still had to keep his head low and stay quiet.
Everyone already had their power handed to them on a silver platter. Gold, or even platinum if they were especially lucky, and it only went up from there. In contrast, Rhys did not. And he understood that he was still small fry in the school's hierarchy.
The chatting of the kids suddenly came to a pause as the bus came to a halt. The doors opened as the batch of high schoolers clambered out.
Amongst the crowd was Rhys, one of the last kids to get out.
Rhys still held his head low as he approached the school building. It was grandiose, boasting both its architectural beauty and high scores. It was nothing short of prestigious. Kids were even happy to attend.
But to Rhys, it was nothing but an empty shell, a monster that carved him hollow.
As he slowly neared the facility, he heard something- that voice, those footsteps, the fear that was etched into his very bones began to flare up.
It was a fear that was taught to him long ago.
His heart instinctively raced and his palms started to get sweaty.
The footsteps got louder.
And louder.
Before he knew it, they were in front of him.
Rhys couldn't bear to even glance up. Fear has already taken hold of him.
"Who do we have here?" A high-pitched voice said in a teasing manner.
It was a girl. Not just any girl though. It was Amber.
She was one of the 'popular girls' who loved picking on the lives below her own. Was it because she had an unfortunate upbringing? Was it because she was forced to?
No. It was for none of those reasons.
It was quite the opposite, actually.
She had a lavish upbringing and she was left unrestrained. Gifts, money, and power galore fueled her ego from a young age.
She really did remind Rhys of his childhood. But unlike her, he at least had some sort of restraint. He was taught to be humble and not let his hubris show. But on the inside, that was all he was.
Would he have turned into someone like her if he were to continue his life as a golden child? He doesn't know the answer to that.
She loved stomping down on people. It was not that she was taught to bully, but it was that she wasn't taught to not.
Seeing that Rhys was not responding, she clicked her tongue.
"Scardey cat~" She punched his head downwards.
"Respond when I'm talking."
Rhys hesitated.
"Do you hear me? R-E-S-P-O-N-D. Respond, deaf retard."
Rhys hated her. He hated her guts, her very being. Whenever he saw her, he felt both rage and fear, but the latter overwhelmed his rage. Despite this, he still responded...
For now.
"Yes, Amber." He meekly responded. He was shaking.
"Good boy," She complimented him as if he was a pet. To her, he certainly was a pet. A mere dog to lick her shoes.
"I'll come to you later." She noticed that it was almost time for school to start, leaving Rhys behind.
He stayed silent, then quietly entered the building.
Even though he loathed school, as a mere child, he was still responsible to go.
He wanted to leave, but he can't.
What would his parents think of their disappointment of a son?
