Birthday Present

It has been 5 years since Atlas and the rest of the kids from the church began living on the streets. In that time span, they have learned to survive. Doing whatever it took to see tomorrow. Freeman and Atlas began to steal from market stalls that they would once frequent as customers. They didn't just steal from market stalls, they pickpocketed whoever they could. No matter if their victim was young or old, if they showed any signs of vulnerability, the two boys would use that moment to reach in and take out whatever was in there. The girls also helped. They would distract the stall owners while the boys would grab as much as they could. The girls would approach a younger child or an older person, depending on the person, they would play the role of a dependable older sister that could guide the young child home or the role of a lost child looking for their way home. One of the two boys would be nearby and wait for an opportunity to steal.

This continued until Atlas was 10 years old. The day Atlas turned 10 years old, these kid's world seemed to begin to crumble once more.

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Atlas was sleeping in the alleyway that they all called home when he suddenly heard a young girl calling for his help.

"Atlas! Atlas! Freeman needs your help! Hurry!"

The one calling for him was a girl with long black hair tied into a high ponytail. Her usual pretty face couldn't be seen since it was covered in dirt and blood. She was only an inch or two taller than Atlas. She was none other than the crybaby of the group, Jennie.

"Slow down Jennie. Clean yourself up and slowly explain to me what happened. I will go help Freeman after."

Atlas, still tired, slowly gets up, yawning and stretching like a cat. His dark blue hair, that was crudely cut, was a mess. He began to try to clean himself up and prepare for the day. Jennie clearly not happy with how nonchalant he was being, turned red with anger and began to yell at Atlas.

"Atlas! There's no time for you to be moving around so slowly, May and Lucy got hurt. We were preparing to steal from this guy but his friends were close by and began to chase after us. May and Lucy both ended up tripping and hurting themselves. Freeman was close by so he came out and began to fight them off. But… but… he's out numbered! There's only one of him but there are three other guys he has to fight off! Please Atlas! You have to help!"

Once Jennie was done, she was already in tears again. Atlas suddenly felt his heart drop. Quickly turning around, he grabs his clothes. He holds onto Jennie's hand and runs out of the alleyway.

"Lead the way, Jennie! We have to help them!"

Atlas was scared. He didn't want to lose anyone again. Thanks to the fused fighting techniques from Kai, he has been able to protect himself and the others from dangers that lurked in the slums. From the drunkards that tried to attack them to the other kids in the slums, even if he was the youngest, Atlas was the best fighter of the group. He has saved the group on plenty of occasions. But if he failed to save them this time, he wouldn't know how to live with himself.

When Jennie and Atlas finally reached the spot that Freeman and the others were fighting at, they were greeted with a bloody scene. Freeman was barely holding on. Both of his arms were covered in blood and it seemed as if he was reaching the end of his life. Laying down behind him was an injured May and Lucy. Atlas quickly jumped into action, yelling at Jennie to help May and Lucy up and take them away. Jennie not wanting to get in the way just nods and helps the sisters up. Atlas then runs next to Freeman. Atlas looks at Freeman, trying to assess his condition. Freeman's face was swollen from the beating he took. Looking at his upper body, Atlas could see that he had a few stab wounds and cuts around his arm and chest area. Atlas' blood begins to boil, his dark blue eyes suddenly seem to lose its life. Atlas then walks forward while speaking to Freeman in a worried tone,

"Freeman, go with the others, take care of your wounds and make sure the girls are okay."

Freeman couldn't believe what he was hearing. Does Atlas have a death wish? Freeman knew that Atlas was strong but fighting three grown men on his own was impossible. This was all Freeman's fault anyways; he had insisted that the girls help him make some money so that they could buy Atlas a birthday present. If he had been more careful, all of this could have been avoided. Before he could say anything, Atlas once again tells Freeman to leave, but this time it sounded as Atlas was angry at Freeman.

"Freeman! You promised Sister Samantha that you would take care of everyone right? You can't do that if you are dead. Go take care of the girls and clean up your wounds,

Atlas turns around and smiles at Freeman

You know me, I am the strongest here. They can't do anything to me. Once you're cleaned up, you can come back and help me, but I doubt I will need it. I'll be done before you're back."

Atlas then turns back around to face the enemies.

Freeman couldn't see Atlas' face anymore but he could feel his resolve. He decides to follow what Atlas said and he turns around to leave.

"Atlas, you better stay alive until I come back. We will take care of these guys together and celebrate your birthday with a huge dinner!"

Atlas chuckles.

Freeman also chuckles.

"Of course. Now go on. Jennie will need help carrying those two sisters."

"Hm."

Freeman walks away, even though he wants to help, he hardens his heart. He knows he must keep his promise to Sister Samantha.

Once Freeman left, Atlas puts all of his attention onto the three men in front of him.

'Nasty assholes. These guys are a part of the Red Shanks gang. They fight with knives that are jagged like a shark's tooth. Once stabbed, the knife destroys and sheds all skin like a shark's tooth once pulled out of the victim's body.'

Atlas looks at the three men's faces. His eyes that had a beautiful dark blue hue to them and turned dull. It was as if death had taken all of the life from them.

"Come forward and fight till your final breath. Today you made the mistake of going for my friends."

The three men looked at each other and began laughing. One of the men then said mockingly.

"HAHA! Kid, we only wanted to play with your sisters when your friend attacked us. We were only defending ourselves. You don't want to look like your friend, right?"

The man then paused to act as if he was thinking of something. He then smirked and looked at Atlas.

"Oh, I know! As compensation for our pain. Why don't you take us to the place where you guys are sleeping? Maybe we can help your sisters out. I'm sure they are sick of being around you little brats."

The men began laughing again. All of them thinking about how lucky they were to find three beauties with only a scrawny brat protecting them. They assumed after threating the kid, they could take the three girls for themselves. But after some time, Atlas still didn't move or say anything else. Only staring at the three as if he was looking at trash.

The men then felt as if a monster had suddenly appeared in front of them. Thirsting for their blood and that it wouldn't be satisfied until it's thirst was quenched. One of the men tried to threaten Atlas again, "Hey kid! Didn't you hear us!? We'll kill you and find them ourselves if you won't take us! Do you know…"

Before he could finish what, he was saying, Atlas rushed at the man, throwing a punch using all the strength he could. The man stumbled backwards, dropping the knife in the process. Atlas grabs it with his right hand and once again runs at the man. The man, fearing for his life, puts his arms into an X across his chest. But even then, Atlas saw this coming. He crouches low, switches the knife from his right hand to his left and holds it in a reverse grip. He then aims for the back of the man's left leg, putting his right hand on the butt of the knife to be able to apply more pressure, he stabs down on the back of the man's left leg and drags it straight up and out of his leg. That's right, Atlas aimed for the man's femoral artery. Kai's fused fighting technique also had a map of the human body, which allowed for Atlas to study the human body and aim for those weak points during a real fight.

This all happen in a span of about 15 seconds. The man fell down holding his leg, while the other two just stood there in shock. The brat they thought they could push around suddenly had the strength to take one of them down in mere seconds. The two jumped into their fighting stances, ready to move at moment's notice.

Atlas gets up, turns around and slowly approaches the two guys left.

"It's unfortunate that this is all your friend could do. Within the next minute he will fall unconscious, then the next minute that follows is important. If you get him help, he may live. However, we are deep in the slums, no one here can use magic. So, you are witnessing his final moments and you can't do anything to help him."

Atlas didn't know how close these guys were, but he saw the fear that Jennie had when she asked him for help. It hurt him. He wanted to make sure these men felt nothing but fear until they took their final breath.

The remaining guys didn't move, contemplating what to do. They both knew they didn't want to die to a brat that young, but they knew they couldn't take him on by themselves. Looking at each other, they nodded at one another as if they knew what they had to do. They both attacked Atlas at the same time.

With both men going on the offensive, Atlas was forced into defending himself. He would use his small frame and quickness to defend against the two adults. Blocking when necessary and dodging when he must. All Atlas had to do was wait for an opening so that he could go on the offensive and take one of the guys out.

At the end of the day though, Atlas was still 10 years old. No matter how skilled he is, his stamina could not keep up with two adults in a drawn-out fight. With both guys constantly slashing and stabbing, Atlas began to slow down and cuts began to appear on his body. The guys could finally see the light at the end of this surprisingly terrifying tunnel. With one final slash and kick Atlas was beaten unconscious.

"What should we do with this brat? He killed our brother, what are we going to tell the boss?"

The guy that was asked thought about it for a moment before he had an idea.

"Why don't we sell the brat to those slave traders? We were going to sell those girls after but now we should just sell the boy and offer the money to the boss, we can't afford to piss him off anymore."

The two, seemingly happy with the plan, picks up Atlas and heads outside of the city.

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"Damn it! Atlas where are you?"

Freeman came rushing back after he bandaged up his wounds only to find that Atlas was gone and one of the guys that beat him up was lying in a pool of his own blood.

Sensing that something was wrong, Freeman searched every corner of the slums, praying that Atlas was safe and just hiding from the other two guys.

"I have to find him! This is all my fault. I just wanted to get some money to celebrate Atlas' 10th birthday. Was that too much to ask for?! Please be safe Atlas."

Freeman continued searching for his friend, not realizing that earlier that day would be the final time he would speak to Atlas.