That evening, Fraze was waiting for his little sister Serah's classes to end so they could go home together. He had settled in a discreet corner of the study room, where the Wi-Fi signal was strongest.
He took out his phone and opened a new chapter of his favorite webnovel.For him, life in these online novels was far more thrilling than reality. There was magic, monsters, danger. If someone asked why, despite everything, he never skipped school and even studied enough to be top of the class, the answer was simple: he was looking for a way to open portals between worlds, to make monsters appear, just like in his stories. A madness, no doubt, but it was the only thing that motivated him. Whenever he had a moment, he would dive into a few pages.
After a few minutes, he noticed that Serah should have been there a while ago. He decided to go look for her himself.
Walking through the halls, he saw the few students still present whispering and looking at him out of the corner of their eyes. It was as if they were wondering: What will a lunatic like him do when he finds out what happened?
He ignored their looks. But as he was going down a staircase, an expression of sharp surprise – a rare thing – appeared on his face.
In the stairwell, Serah was sitting on a step, her uniform stained with blood on the chest and hands. Head bowed, hands clasped, she was leaning forward, her back hunched from exhaustion and distress. Her backpack and school things were scattered around her.
Hearing footsteps approaching her instead of ignoring her like the others, she looked up. Her face was marked: bruises under her eyes and on her nose, blood around her mouth, scrapes on her forehead and cheeks. Her gaze was dark, sad, and tired. But as soon as she recognized her brother, the gentle and reserved Serah, the one who hid her injuries to avoid worrying anyone, the one who was always afraid of disappointing or being a burden, instantly resurfaced. Surprised, she exclaimed:
"Big brother,why are you here already?... Hahaha, Big brother, I was on my way to get you but I fell down the stairs…"
"So, are you okay? Does it hurt?" He had immediately guessed the truth. The bruises, the finger marks – the slaps, the reddened and swollen arms – the hits and pinches and the fact she had been pushed down the stairs. Fraze wasn't blind. It was just that he often judged what he saw as uninteresting or not interesting enough, which could make him seem negligent. But here, he understood very well what had happened to his sister, and probably who was behind it.
He bent down to pick up her things.
"Uh…I didn't want to bother you, Big brother. It's just that I slipped…"
"Why do you say that?We're family, after all. I told you not to take Mother's words seriously."
"Mother" is what they called the director of the orphanage. Seeing that Serah was anxious, unsure of herself, and very dependent on Fraze, she was trying to make her stronger.
Fraze suddenly stood up and kicked a step violently.
After doing it,he hopped on one foot, grimacing.
"Ouch,ouch…"
"B-big brother!Why did you do that? Are you okay?" asked Serah, worried.
Fraze winked at her, a wide smile on his lips.
"Hahaha!It's nothing. Besides, it deserved it for making my dear Serah fall."
Serah then remembered the promise her brother had made to her one night, when she was still afraid of the dark: "If something hurts you, I will punish it for you."
She smiled.
"Haha!Don't worry, big brother. I'm fine."
Fraze then handed her a few bills.
"Here.Take a taxi home. I have some errands to run for Mother. You need to go back to the orphanage. I'll be there as soon as I'm done."
Serah took the money and left. As she walked away, the expression on Fraze's face changed. Something terrible was about to happen.
---
[In a classroom]
"Why are you so stressed out like this?" asked Samuel's voice.
"I told you to leave him alone!Why did you go after his sister? Don't you know how crazy he is? What are we going to do now?" replied Chloe's panicked voice.
"Hey!Calm down. You don't have to worry. As long as I'm here, he can't do anything," Samuel assured.
"Samuel is right.And besides, don't forget who his father is," added the voice of one of his friends.
"Yeah!And we're here too," added another.
Immediately, a noise at the door. Someone had entered… Fraze. And he had heard everything.
He moved towards them without a word. No words, no questions.
Samuel's first friend stepped in front of him,blocking his path.
"Whoa there,where do you think you're going, buddy? You have to ask my permission if you want…"
Before he could finish his sentence,a violent blow exploded on his face, making him stagger back. Before he could even regain his senses, a flurry of blows rained down on him, knocking him unconscious. A final sideways slap sent him flying to the side, clearing the path.
The others, stunned, had no time to react. Samuel desperately looked for something to defend himself with, but Fraze was already on him. Panic-stricken, Samuel backed away, his hands plastered over his face as a shield. That was exactly what Fraze wanted. Blinded by his own hands, Samuel saw nothing coming. The only thing his mind registered was the sensation of falling.
Fraze gave him no respite.He threw himself on him, unleashing heavy, powerful blows. Samuel was struggling to breathe.
Then...
BAM!
A violent blow to Fraze's head.Samuel's second friend had just hit him with a chair.
Silence.
No reaction from Fraze,as if he had lost consciousness.
One second.
Two.
Then, Fraze's head turned towards the one who had just hit him. The boy's eyes widened, horrified by what he saw: a smile. A wide and terrifying smile on Fraze's lips. A smile that seemed to say: OHH yes, now it's getting interesting.
A shiver of fear ran through the young man. That hesitation was his biggest mistake.
A few moments later, the three boys were lying on the ground. When Fraze turned his gaze towards Chloe, the girl was trembling from head to toe, so much so that she lacked oxygen and fainted under the pressure he was radiating.
As Fraze walked away, his business settled, Samuel was painfully regaining consciousness.
"Hehehe!You! You're dead. Do you know my father? My father is the mayor of this city! He has connections. It's over for you and your shitty orphanage!"
Fraze walked away without answering him. But Samuel didn't know yet that he had just sealed not only his own fate, but also that of everyone in the room.