Chapter Eight – The First Kill
The day began like any ordinary day for both Unknown and Adam. They went to the children's playground, a small area with some play equipment, from 9:30 AM until 11:00 AM. Afterwards, they headed to Adam's house, where Adam's mother greeted the kids and offered them some snacks which they devoured as if they hadn't eaten for days.
Then they went into the room to read the illustrated storybook that Ibrahim had bought for Unknown as a reward for finishing all the books and lessons sent to them. Time passed quickly between playing and reading until the sun set in the sky.
Unknown said goodbye to Adam and returned to his home—but what happened next was unexpected.
To understand, it's important to know that the residential neighborhood where Ibrahim and Unknown lived was full of alleys. These alleys provided useful shortcuts to avoid long roads, but no one dared enter them because of their bad reputation: they were strongholds for thugs and gang members. Everyone avoided them as if they were a plague.
By chance, Unknown was watching the sunset when his eyes fell on one of those alleys. He thought to himself,
"Why don't I take a shortcut through here?" Despite Ibrahim's warnings, he decided to ignore them.
But just before entering the alley, a strange thought crossed his mind: he imagined a thug attacking him. He imagined a muscular young man with a rough face, cursing with every word. He imagined this thug lunging at him, and his body moving automatically.
In his imagination, he saw himself drawing power from the ground, transferring it from his feet to his core, then directing it into a punch aimed at the thug's Adam's apple. The punch was precise and devastating, and the man fell dead to the ground.
He shook his head:
"What madness is this? This can't happen in real life!"
But the world, or perhaps the fabric of reality and what lies behind it, had a different opinion.
Unknown decided it would do no harm to enter the alley. It was silent, dark, and empty.
He felt the urge to spit phlegm. Looking around and seeing no one, he spat.
What he did not know was that someone was coming from the other corner—the very thug he had imagined earlier. Unfortunately, the spit landed right in the middle of the man's forehead.
Their eyes met.
A moment of silence.
Then the thug exploded with unbearable curses.
Fear crept into Unknown's heart, and he turned and ran. He didn't know where, but he kept running, with heavy footsteps chasing him behind.
He ran until he reached a dead-end, surrounded by walls on all sides. Behind him, the thug was rapidly closing in.
Unknown froze in place with fear.
And at the moment the thug's hand approached his face, time slowed down.
He entered a strange calm in the midst of the storm. He remembered the technique he had imagined earlier. His body moved without thought, perfectly replicating the strike.
He drew power from the ground, passed it through his body, and launched his fist toward the man's neck.
The thug fell, dead.
A man in the prime of his youth and physical strength lay dead at the hand of a ten-year-old child.
Silence spread.
A solemn silence enveloped the alleys.
This event was the beginning of the path, Unknown's path.
A path that would lead him to heights, levels, and powers no one had reached before.
A path that would redefine strength and its meaning forever.
And
this great path
began...
with this small event.