Chapter 3

--School [Present] --

"Th-theo, did you see the news?" Asked by the guy on my right, sitting next to me.

That's the nickname they decided to give me, Theo, short for Theos Ignis. People always leave out the letter "s'' in my name every time they pronounce it.

It's understandable considering that in this country, names ending with "s" are not frequently used. Removing the "s" also makes it easier to pronounce, more streamline and more efficient when used in sentences.

That's why many people ask me about my parent's reasoning behind giving me that name. "Theo" is already a stand alone name after all so why add the "s" at the end.

Funny enough, the word "Theos" means "God" in greek. An existence I sometimes contemplate about every night. I really like it though, not because it represents a higher someone or something, but because it fits me quite nicely.

The word "God", to me, is equivalent to the word "perfection". And the word "perfection" means "Balance".

I'm a firm believer that in order for something to be perfect, it should be balanced and not a single side weighing more than the other/s. So, if you are a good person in a literal sense, then I believe that you should be equally evil in the same way. A saint and a demon at the same time.

Almost all of the religions incorporate these concepts as well. The concept of reward and punishment, heaven and hell, good and bad karma, life and death, creation and destruction, and other similar ideas.

Even in our modern society, balance is a necessity for it to function properly. There needs to be poor for someone to be rich, there needs to be evil for someone to be good, there needs to be dumb for someone to be smart.

As for me, "Theos" fits me well. I have both disabilities and gifts, I am good and evil.

"Ye-yeah."

My heart sank after seeing the news. Although they are what you people call "bad guys", it doesn't mean they deserve to be in that state.

"To think that would happen to them. The world is really unfair," I paused for a moment and continued. "I think I will visit them later."

"He-hey, you don't need to do that. Did you already forget what they did to you?"

"As someone who's indirectly responsible for all this because of their suspension, this is all I can do."

"Well, if you say so. Just make sure you're accompanied by someone else. You don't know what can happen."

"Thanks for the concern. Don't worry, I'm sure the teachers will visit him as well so I can just go with them," I said, reassuring him.

...

Visiting the hospital, I felt sorry for the guys after seeing their condition. I can't help but feel the guilt weighing on my shoulder. Thankfully, my teachers were there to console me.

Who would have thought that that would happen to them. What an unfortunate soul they are.

After that, I immediately went home. Not having enough strength to do other things at the moment.

--House--

Getting home, I immediately went to my room and called the same guy last time. But unlike before, he took the call almost instantly.

["Yoww, dude. How was it?"]

I can hear the excitement in his voice. Although he seemed annoyed last time,in reality he enjoys it every time I request something like that.

"Well, good job. Seeing their sorry asses makes me want to break those limbs even more. Anyways, I will be dropping by your place later, see you," I was about to end the call when I heard him say something.

["Ey, ey, ey. Bruh, th-that's not part of the dea... *thut* *thut* *thut*"]

I can hear his voice trembling, I wonder why though.

...

--12:43am--

--Neighborhood City [Squatter Area]--

A couple of hours after I called my "friend", I went to the city adjacent to mine, on foot.

I really like to walk and appreciate the surroundings I'm passing by. That's why even if my school is quite far from my house, regardless of the time and weather, I walk home every time and sometimes even change route.

Entering a dark alley, I could smell garbage, rotten foods, cigarettes and vapes. There's even a smell of marijuana -- illegal in this country -- illegal drugs and various types of solvents.

I've tried some of them before, but all I can say is that I don't like them even one bit. The fact that it caused me to experience something out of reality is a reason enough.

As someone who is highly reliant on his limited senses to discern reality and psychological capacity to process information, altering them again would be out of the question. The only reason I did it was out of curiosity and to understand the psychology of those pieces of shits.

After turning left, I saw quite a spacious closed clearing on my view and small huts made from discarded materials built in it. The place is like a swamp.

Taking a closer look, I could see many teenagers my age with bags under their eyes and bloodshot eyes outside the huts. Some of them are holding plastic pipes, syringes, white powders, weird looking plants, vaporizer and other paraphernalia. They are all either inhaling, sniffing, injecting, snorting, or smoking something -- minding their own business.

Walking closer towards the center hut, I knocked on the door made from a discarded aluminum sheet. As I did so, many eyes are looming at my back.

I'm currently wearing a black hoodie, black hat, and black mask so they weren't able to recognize me right away.

The door opened and a man with red hair, shirtless and pantless greeted me.

"Fuck!! I was just about to c*m, you stupid fuck!!" He shouted and proceeded to throw a kick to my stomach.

Before the sole of his foot could even touch me, he soon found himself upside down mid air, falling to the ground and hitting the back of his head first.

Trying to process what had happened, the sole of a thick boot landed on his solar plexus, making him spit disgusting food back into the surface of the earth.

At this point, he probably regained his senses from using drugs and alcohol because of the pain. The addicts who were just observing me earlier are now holding whatever weapons they could find as well.

Pouncing at me all at the same time, there's only one thing in my mind as I threw my glasses and mask away.

"Fuck! This is awesome!!"

With a huge grin on my face and blood thirsty eyes that may look like a crazy criminal to some, I divulge myself in excitement. The familiar adrenaline surge within me that I haven't felt for a long time.

Cries and screams covered my ears, as clashes of metals reverberated the surrounding.

Hearing these sounds energizes me even more as blood mixes in the puddles of water below us.

5 and a half minutes later, everything finally went quiet like before. But this time, instead of them minding their own business from the sides, they are now crawling away from my spot with some even unconscious on the ground, motionless.

Standing in the middle of the mess, my hoodie is full of cuts.

What a refreshing feeling I might say.

Another reason I walk all the time is in hopes of encountering these kinds of people. I love how they treamble and beg for mercy under the terror of my existence.

As run-away or orphan kids, who have lost in the path of life, they do not know how to react when such might befall upon them. They have no one to rely on or care for as only the strong can gather and control them.

In this case, "strong" means "violence". People with little to no ties can hardly be controlled with normal rules and regulations. Only through pain can they understand their place.

The thought of making them fear you to the point they hide in this kind of place is really motivating as always.

…