Chapter 01: Death

It was yet another serene evening; the populace carried on with their daily routines, stray dogs scouted for a meal and a cozy nook, and the streets hummed with the usual procession of vehicles, including cars, trucks, and more.

Among the crowd, there were people dressed in eccentric and peculiar outfits, indulging in all sorts of shenanigans, possibly under the influence of various substances and drugs.

The city where this teenager resided bore a remarkable resemblance to New York, and you're well aware of how quirky and frenetic New York nights can become, aren't you?

The young adult sauntered casually along the sidewalk, one hand clutching a bag, and the other firmly cradling a phone to his ear. He was engrossed in a deep conversation with someone.

"Hello, Mom, I've got your cheeseburgers and fries," the teen relayed, steadying the phone between his ear and shoulder as he double-checked the bag to ensure he had everything precisely as requested.

"Yes, I've got those too. You didn't think I would forget, did you?" he playfully inquired.

"Sam, dear, I know you won't forget. I just asked to be sure, that's all," Sam heard a mature voice respond from the other end of the phone. "By the way, your Aunt Lor will be joining us for dinner. I hope you got those extra burgers. You know how she goes wild when she sees burgers, right?"

Upon hearing the words "Aunt Lor," Sam's subconscious conjured an image of an exceptionally mature woman with striking white hair and mesmerizing blue eyes. Yet, in his mental tableau, he paid little attention to her face, despite knowing she possessed remarkable beauty. Instead, his focus immediately honed in on her ample breasts.

"God, they're so big," he involuntarily blurted out, momentarily forgetting that his mother was still connected to him on the phone.

"Big? What do you mean?" his mother inquired.

"Uh, it's nothing," he hastily replied.

"..."

There was a pause on the line, but even from a distance, Sam could sense his mother's intense disapproving glare.

"Sam, I hope you're not letting your imagination run wild about your Aunt," his mother cautioned, sending a shiver down his spine.

'How could she possibly know what I'm thinking?' Sam sighed inwardly.

He continued down the dimly lit path, maintaining a cheerful conversation with his mother as he strolled along. His growling stomach prompted him to pocket his phone temporarily; he was eager to reach home and have a meal before resuming their conversation.

As he ventured deeper into the shadowy alley, his senses perked up to an unusual hush that enveloped the surroundings. The only discernible sounds were the distant hum of passing vehicles.

Sam furrowed his brow, sensing the eerie quiet but choosing not to halt his progress. He had traversed this route countless times before, given its convenient proximity to both the supermarket and his home.

Suddenly, from the shadows of the dimly lit alley, a figure sprang forth, knocking Sam to the ground unceremoniously.

"What the hell are you doing, man?" Sam shouted, his anger flaring.

Grinning from ear to ear, a man emerged from the darkness. "Hahaha, quit yelling like a baby, you bastard."

"Why am I not surprised, Julian?" Sam scoffed, recognizing the individual.

Julian, his college classmate, was a source of constant frustration for Sam. His animosity towards Sam stemmed from an irrational insecurity about Sam's striking appearance.

Indeed, Sam was remarkably handsome—arguably the most attractive guy in the entire college, let alone their class. In stark contrast, Julian was thoroughly average in the looks department among his peers.

Sam had always sensed that this guy would bring trouble in the future, given the intense glares he received from him and his crew. However, he hadn't anticipated it happening so soon.

"So, what do you want?" Sam noticed that Julian hadn't come alone, as four more individuals appeared from behind him.

"I'm here for revenge," Julian's jealousy was practically oozing out of him.

"Revenge for what, exactly?" As far as Sam could recall, he hadn't done anything to provoke this guy's anger, other than inadvertently making him extremely jealous.

Could Sam have provoked his anger in some other way, aside from triggering his jealousy, of course? Sam couldn't think of any other reason.

Unbeknownst to Sam, this notorious gang had one singular desire: to inflict suffering upon him. They lacked any valid justification or noble cause. For Julian and his ruthless gang, any conceivable reason, or the lack thereof, was inconsequential.

Their sole intent was clear: they would not leave without exacting revenge upon Sam today.

Sam had to atone for their humiliation and satiate their insatiable egos.

"You know what? I don't care about the reason. I just want to kill you," Julian snarled as he approached Sam with intimidation in his eyes.

"Kill me?" Sam frowned. "You, Julian? The guy who's scared shitless to even go to the principal's office wants to kill me? Did you hit your head or something?"

"You bastard!" Julian seethed, hearing Sam's words not because he felt insulted but because he knew they were absolutely true. "Talk all you want; this is the only talking time you get."

One of Julian's henchmen locked Sam's hand from behind in a tight grip. "You're going to die today," another guy grinned evilly.

Just as he said that Julian threw a punch directly at Sam's stomach.

"...Grrr," Sam cried out in pain, unable to even clutch his stomach as his hands were immobilized.

"Yeah, that's it, cry like a bitch," another one of Julian's gang members sneered, now holding Sam's face and delivering knee strikes.

Sam winced in pain. "You bastards, I'm going to kill you."

Hearing Sam's provocation, Julian and his men laughed. "Hahahah, kill us? Look at yourself. What can you do against the five of us? Call your mommy?"

Hearing Julian's taunting words, something inside Sam snapped. He forcefully broke free from the guy's hold and landed a solid punch right on Julian's nose. "Take this!"

"Ha... my nose!" Julian touched his bleeding nose, his hands covered in blood. It was now Julian's turn to feel the pain. He couldn't control himself and tears welled up in his eyes, his nose resembling smashed tomatoes.

The seething pain nearly made him go unconscious. Sam, seeing this, let out a cold and sadistic grin.

The others, momentarily stunned by the unexpected turn of events, quickly realized that their boss had just been humiliated.

"Kill him! Kill him now!" Julian had lost any remaining shreds of morality; he only wanted to eliminate Sam and be done with him.

Hearing their boss's order, the other gang members were slightly hesitant. After all, Sam was still one of their classmates. What if anyone were to find out it was them who killed Sam? They didn't want to go to jail.

Despite their reservations, one of the gang members kicked Sam from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Seeing his henchmen hesitating, Julian gritted his teeth, retrieved a kitchen knife from his back, and approached Sam while still holding his nose to stem the bleeding.

"I'll do it myself," Julian declared without a second thought and then stabbed Sam straight through the chest. "Die, you motherfucker!"

Sam's eyes widened as he looked down at his chest, seeing the knife embedded in his flesh. He gulped, dropping to his knees, and his hands slowly reached toward the knife.

He could feel the excruciating pain, and his breathing became erratic. But soon, he found it increasingly difficult to breathe, and his eyes welled up with tears.

"Tie his hands," Julian ordered, and his henchmen complied, securing Sam's hands, which were attempting to remove the knife from his chest, and then binding them behind his back before letting Sam collapse to the ground.

"I will see you in hell," Julian left his words behind, not even bothering to take another look at Sam.

Sam's eyes remained fixated on the departing figure of his enemies. His gaze turned cold, and at this moment, nothing else mattered to him, not even the searing pain in his chest. All that consumed his thoughts was revenge.

"I'll make you regret what you did to me"

Even in the afterlife, he wouldn't let these guys off easily. Sam was a profoundly vengeful person.

In the dimly lit alley, he took his last breath with his eyes still fixed on his enemies, his blood running warm.

....

"Come on, we have to go even faster, or else they'll catch up to us," two figures clad in full black clothes sprinted as fast as their superhuman abilities allowed.

They moved at a pace beyond the reach of ordinary humans, effortlessly leaping from one building to another, akin to Spider-Man, but without the aid of webs—relying solely on their extraordinary physical prowess.

"I'm running as fast as I can!" one of the figures replied while catching his breath.

He clutched a dark-colored bag tightly behind him, its zipper only partially closed. Inside the bag rested an object resembling a book, its pages a deep black hue, exuding an ancient aura. Three intricate rings adorned its cover, and an unusual lock, unlike anything anyone had ever seen, secured its secrets.

"Capture them!" a voice echoed from behind.

"We're only three miles away from the mansion. If we can get there, they won't follow us into their territory. We just have to reach his domain," one of the figures glanced back and saw a group of pursuers rapidly approaching, soaring through the air toward them.

While leaping across a pitch-black alley, the ancient book inside the partially zipped bag couldn't withstand the intense motion. It slipped from the grasp of one of the figures and fell, landing near the lifeless body of a teenager.

Unbeknownst to the two figures, they had dropped the precious object they were risking their lives to deliver, and they continued their sprint. The pursuing group also passed through the alley without noticing the item they sought now lay beside a corpse.

Back to Sam's lifeless body.

Only a few minutes had passed since his heart had stopped beating. His blood continued to pour out, saturating the surroundings. Eventually, it reached the ancient book.

Upon contact with Sam's blood, the book began to absorb it, hovering in the air. Its lock clicked open, and a dark ray of light emanated from it, converging on Sam's lifeless body.

As seconds ticked by, the dark red thread of energy grew even darker, rapidly healing his wounds. The knife that had been lodged in his chest slid out, and his heart slowly began to beat. It quickened, pulsing slightly faster than that of a healthy human being.

His pale skin regained a healthy hue, and the blood that had soaked his clothes and the ground disappeared, absorbed back into his body. Wounds and bruises that had accumulated over a lifetime vanished.

Gradually, the ancient book lost its radiance, transformed into a gentle light, and flowed into Sam's body, vanishing within him.