Nova Brisa was a medium-sized city, forgotten between the coast and the countryside, where days passed slowly and nights seemed even longer. With no major attractions, it was one of those places where nothing really happened — and maybe that's exactly why everything was about to happen.
Harry held the broom in one hand and his phone in the other. The boredom was as suffocating as the white lights of the 24-hour store sign where he worked, in some random neighborhood of the city. It was Friday, 3:47 a.m., and as always, the only customers were drunkards, loners, and delinquents.
He was tall and thin, with his hair falling into his eyes, hiding his shy gaze. Still, there was a spark of hope there — that something would change one day. He was the typical nerd who spent the day watching anime, reading Chinese cultivation novels, and... studying? No. He called himself the "dumb nerd" — but only in his thoughts.
The sound of the automatic door pulled him out of his immersion.
"Damn... It's them again," Harry thought, seeing the three young men in baggy jackets and tattoos walk in, laughing loudly.
The same ones as always. The same ones who took soda, chips, cigarettes, and sometimes money — all without shame.
"Look who it is, the little store guard again," mocked their leader, Alexander, slamming the counter with a hand stained with dried blood. "Still here, loser?"
The two goons laughed at Harry's misfortune, always trailing behind Alexander like two ticks.
Harry pretended he didn't hear. He pressed his lips together and tried to slowly move toward the back door.
But as always... he wasn't fast enough.
The first punch came from the side. Then another. And another. Harry tried to fight back, with a clumsy punch that barely hit Alexander's shoulder, but that only made the beating worse. The three fell on him like starving hyenas, laughing and mocking as they kicked and punched mercilessly.
Up above, on the rooftop of a nearby building, a figure watched. A young man in strange clothes stood still at the edge. His eyes glowed for a moment as he saw the conflict below. He coughed quietly, blood escaping from his lips, then vanished into the clouds as if he had never been there.
When it was over, Harry was left in a side alley, his uniform torn and his pride in shreds. In the silence of the early morning, between crushed cans and the distant sound of a siren, he finally thought what he should've thought long ago:
"I hate this place…"
Standing up and straightening himself, he returned to the store, once again robbed. He remembered the owner's words:
"Next time, you're out."
Said and done. When he arrived, the owner was already there with the police. After giving his statement, he was fired coldly and unfairly.
Tired and bruised, Harry returned to his rented room. A tiny space with a shared bathroom and mold on the walls. All he had was an old laptop and his phone — his portals to the fantasy worlds he loved so much. He took a quick shower in the foul-smelling hallway bathroom and collapsed into bed, sinking into the lumpy mattress.
The next morning, still with a swollen face, he opened his wallet: R$200.
"I guess it's time to go home…" he murmured.
Even after losing his parents in an accident years ago, his uncle's farm in the small countryside town of Vale Sereno was still the only place he could call home.
…
On Monday, still hurt, Harry went to college. He studied Computer Science at the State University of Nova Brisa (UENB). Crossing the campus with his hood up to hide the bruises, he headed straight to the tech building.
At the entrance, he found his best friend, Vinícius — a tall nerd, with thick glasses, messy hair, and an anime t-shirt.
"Holy crap, man! What happened to you?" Vinícius exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Those guys from the store again… got fired too," said Harry with a sigh.
"Man, that's messed up. Those jerks need to pay one day. So what now? How are you gonna manage?"
"I'm going back to Vale Sereno. Staying at my uncle's farm for a while. I'm broke and just can't deal with anything right now."
Vinícius put a hand on his shoulder.
"Hit me up if you need anything. At least take your laptop, right? If you can, let's game a bit to take your mind off things."
Harry smiled, even if faintly.
"Sure thing. Thanks."
A bit further ahead, he spotted Luu. She was sitting on a bench, looking at her phone. Pretty, with straight blond hair down to her shoulders, she wore thin glasses and always seemed distant, as if she lived in a world of her own.
Before the end of classes, Harry sat in the exam room, his face still marked by the recent assault. While his classmates filled in their answers with focus, he could barely concentrate on the paper in front of him. His mind drifted to memories of the store, the firing, and the upcoming trip to Vale Sereno. The pen felt heavy in his hands, and the ticking clock echoed louder than everything.
When the test ended, Harry slowly gathered his things, still unmotivated. Vinícius approached, smiling at him.
"So, that's it, man. Take care, alright? Don't disappear."
Harry gave a tired half-smile.
"Sure. Thanks for everything. I'll text you once I'm at the farm."
Vinícius nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Safe travels, man. If you need anything, you know where to find me."
Harry took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the moment.
"Thanks, Vinícius. See you."
They said goodbye with a wave and walked in opposite directions.
As he left the college building, Harry saw Luu from afar, walking away with her best friend. He let out a low sigh, a mix of longing and insecurity.
Alexander, who saw Harry's reaction, muttered to himself in disdain — a toad staring at a swan — then turned and left with his two ticks down some alley.
Not knowing what to say, Harry slowly turned and walked to the bus stop. The bus was already there, waiting, ready to take him far from Nova Brisa — toward Vale Sereno, his uncle's farm, and a new beginning.
The holidays were coming. And with them, the end of another semester.
And the end — or perhaps the beginning — of something much greater in his life.
With his backpack on and his soul tired, Harry left Nova Brisa behind that Friday afternoon. He boarded the bus heading to Vale Sereno, the place where everything would change. There, at his uncle's farm, lived the only family he had left. It was with him that Harry would have to start over.
…
In the clouds, floating on invisible winds, the same man who had watched the fight now followed Harry's steps from afar. His gaze was heavy but determined.
"I think he's the one… my time is running out…" he murmured before coughing again, blood staining his fingers.
His eyes fell on the medallion around his neck, which shimmered faintly with a golden light.
"Wounded, but not defeated… If the medallion glows again, it means the enemy is near. That demon still lives… but it's injured. Harry, you must be careful."
And then, he vanished into the horizon.