Poru woke to the sound of a metal pipe slamming against the bars of the cell door. The clang rang through his skull, shaking him from the few hours of sleep he had stolen.
"Up," a voice barked.
The room groaned to life. Jinn rolled off his bunk with a practiced ease, while Eri rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The bully from last night Poru still didn't know his name grumbled, but didn't hesitate to move.
Poru pushed himself up, his muscles stiff from yesterday's fight. The floor was freezing beneath his bare feet.
The door creaked open. A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped inside, his face expressionless. Unlike Veyne, this one had no patience for words.
"Follow," he ordered.
No one disobeyed.
The children were herded through the dimly lit tunnels, past more iron-barred doors, past the muffled cries of those who had already learned what happened when you resisted. The air was thick with sweat and fear.
They emerged into a wide, open chamber. Torches lined the walls, their flickering flames barely holding back the darkness. In the center, Veyne stood waiting, his arms crossed, his blade resting at his hip.
Poru barely had time to catch his breath before something came flying toward him. His body reacted on instinct, reaching out his fingers wrapping around the rough wooden surface of a practice stick. The weight felt strange in his grip, unfamiliar.
Veyne stood a few feet away, another wooden staff resting lazily on his shoulder. He tilted his head, eyes sharp and calculating.
"Pick it up properly," he said flatly. "Let's see if you can do more than just swing like a rabid dog."
Poru adjusted his grip, his knuckles white against the wood. His body ached, his breath ragged, but he refused to back down. He had to get stronger.
Without warning, Veyne moved.
The wooden staff whistled through the air. Poru barely raised his weapon in time before CRACK!
A shockwave of pain shot up his arms as Veyne's strike smashed against his guard, forcing him to stagger back. Before he could recover
CRACK!
Another blow, this time to his ribs. Poru grunted, biting down the pain. He tried to counter, swinging his staff wildly, but Veyne sidestepped with ease and
THWACK!
A brutal strike to the side of his knee sent him crashing down.
Poru coughed, trying to force himself back up, but Veyne's staff was already there—pressing against his throat, pinning him to the ground.
"You don't think," Veyne said coldly, pressing just enough to make Poru's vision blur. "You just react. That's why you lose."
Poru's breath came in ragged gasps. His muscles screamed, his body felt like it was on fire, but his fingers tightened around the wooden staff.
No.
He wouldn't stay down.
With all the strength he had left, he twisted his body, knocking the staff from his throat and rolling away. He forced himself to his feet, his stance shaky but firm. His hands adjusted their grip on the staff, tightening.
Veyne's eyes flickered with something—mild amusement, perhaps.
Poru charged, but this time, there was intent behind his movements. He swung, feinted, then spun low aiming for Veyne's legs.
The strike was crude, desperate, but it had thought behind it.
Veyne actually had to block.
The impact sent a faint vibration through both their weapons. For the first time, Poru saw it—just the smallest crack in Veyne's indifference.
Not enough to be called acknowledgment. But close.
Still, the moment was fleeting.
Veyne's counterattack came swift and merciless his staff struck Poru's side, sending him skidding across the ground.
Before Poru could even think, a final, brutal strike slammed into his stomach.
His vision blurred. His body collapsed. The last thing he saw before darkness swallowed him was Veyne standing over him, the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Here's the continuation of the scene:
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Poru barely stood, his body swaying. His breathing was ragged, and blood dripped from his split lip, staining the dirt beneath him. His small frame was covered in bruises, his muscles screaming in pain. But his dull, emotionless eyes remained fixed on Veyne.
Veyne cracked his knuckles, unimpressed. "Still standing?" he scoffed, his voice dripping with irritation. "You don't know when to stay down, do you?"
Poru didn't respond. He never did. His body moved instinctively, charging forward despite the overwhelming pain. But Veyne was faster.
BAM!
Veyne's fist crashed into Poru's face with brutal force. A sickening crack echoed as Poru's head snapped back. The world around him blurred, his vision swimming. He staggered, his legs giving out beneath him.
Thud.
Poru collapsed onto the ground, his body motionless. Darkness swallowed him whole.
When Poru's eyes fluttered open, he was met with an unfamiliar ceiling. The room smelled of medicine, clean linen, and something oddly comforting. His fingers twitched as he tried to move, but his body ached all over.
Then, he noticed them.
Jinn and Eri sat beside him. Jinn leaned forward, arms resting on his knees, his eyes sharp with concern. Eri, quieter, was gripping Poru's blanket tightly. Their faces weren't filled with the disgust or indifference he was used to. Instead, there was… something else.
Poru stared at them, his dull eyes widening ever so slightly. No one had ever looked at him like that before. No one had ever cared.
Jinn let out a sigh and leaned back. "You really scared us, you know," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
Poru blinked. He didn't understand. Why were they here? Why… did they look like that?
Jinn took a deep breath before speaking again. His voice was steady, but there was a weight to his words.
"I used to have a little brother," he said, his gaze distant. "He was like you. Small, quiet… He didn't get to grow up, though. An accident took him. Took my mom and dad, too."
Poru remained still, listening.
"My relatives didn't want me," Jinn continued, his voice bitter. "They threw me away like trash. I had nothing… until I met Veyne." He clenched his fists. "He told me I had a chance to change my life. To get stronger so no one could ever throw me away again."
Jinn's eyes met Poru's. "That's why I don't want to see you end up like my brother." His voice softened, but only slightly. "You don't have to be alone anymore, Poru."
Poru didn't know what to say. His fingers curled slightly against the blanket, his body tense. The emotions in Jinn's words were foreign to him. Love. Care. Worry. He had never experienced them before.
And he didn't know how to react.
Eri finally spoke, her voice quiet. "You should rest."
Poru just stared. He didn't move.
The soft rustling of sheets filled the quiet room as Poru shifted, his body still aching. Jinn had left after a while, leaving only Eri behind. She sat cross-legged beside his bed, watching him carefully. Her eyes, warm with concern, studied his face his bruises, his still-bleeding lip, the dull emptiness in his gaze.
She sighed. "You don't talk much, huh?"
Poru blinked. His lips parted slightly, but no words came. His throat felt dry. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak. He just… couldn't.
Eri smiled, though there was sadness in it. "I'll teach you."
Poru tilted his head, confused.
"I'll teach you how to talk," she clarified. "How to read, how to write. You don't have to just sit there and take everything. You can fight back with words too."
Poru remained still, staring. The concept was foreign to him. Words had never held any meaning in his life. No one had ever spoken to him like this before.
Eri reached into her bag and pulled out a small notebook. "Here," she said, placing it in his hands. "Let's start simple."
Poru hesitated before taking the notebook. The paper felt strange under his fingertips. Foreign. He had seen people write before, but it had always seemed like something out of his reach.
Eri picked up a pen and wrote a single word in neat handwriting.
Poru.
She pointed at it. "This is your name."
Poru stared at the letters. His name. He had heard it spoken countless times, but seeing it written down made something inside him stir.
Eri held the pen out to him. "Your turn."
Poru took it clumsily, his fingers stiff and awkward. He pressed the tip to the paper and slowly, painstakingly, began copying the letters. His hand trembled. The lines were uneven, shaky, barely recognizable.
Eri watched quietly, patient.
After what felt like forever, Poru finished. He looked at what he had written his name, though barely legible. His heartbeat quickened. A strange feeling swelled in his chest.
Pride? Satisfaction?
He didn't know. But for the first time, he had done something with his own hands.
Eri smiled. "See? You can do it."
Poru looked at her. His throat tightened, but he managed to force out a word.
"…More."
It was rough. Broken. But it was a word.
Eri's eyes widened before softening. "Alright." She nodded. "Let's keep going."
Meanwhile, outside Poru's room…
Veyne leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. His eyes were sharp, unreadable as he watched Eri through the small glass window. She was laughing softly, pointing at something in Poru's notebook.
Veyne exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on the scene inside the room. Poru, that blank, emotionless runt, was actually trying. His hands trembled as he held the pen, his brow furrowed in concentration. And Eri she was smiling, encouraging him. Jinn had been the same way earlier, treating Poru like some lost little brother.
His jaw tightened.
"This isn't good," he muttered under his breath.
Poru was a tool. A fighter. That was all he was meant to be.
Emotions? Connections? They were weaknesses.
Veyne narrowed his eyes.
"If they keep this up... he'll become soft," he thought bitterly.
He couldn't allow that. Not when Poru had potential. Not when he could be shaped into something far greater than this pathetic, fragile thing they were turning him into.
Eri and Jinn...
"They might be dangerous for him," Veyne murmured, his fingers tightening into a fist. "If he gets more emotions… I need to do something about them."
His expression darkened.
No more distractions.