When Aidan stepped into the lecture hall the next morning, the world hadn't changed.
Not the flickering ceiling fan.Not the squeaky chalk dragging across the board.Not even the way Samantha turned her head when he entered—like she hadn't ruined him just hours ago.
He walked quietly to the back row, keeping his head low. No one seemed to notice the exhaustion in his eyes. The slight tremble in his fingers. The truth gnawing at the edge of his mind.
But the moment class ended, she made sure everyone noticed him.
"Aidan!" Samantha called out, her voice sweet and loud. "Can we talk for a sec?"
Half the class turned to look. Aidan paused mid-step.
His heart thudded, but he walked toward her like a man marching to his own funeral.
Samantha wore her prettiest smile—the one she used to make him feel like the center of the universe. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and tilted her head, looking heartbreakingly beautiful in her designer cardigan. Probably a gift from him.
"Aidan," she began, "I think it's time we stopped pretending."
He didn't say anything.
"You're… sweet," she went on, smiling brighter as the room went quieter. "But I need a man who can take care of me. Who has money, power—ambition. Not someone who's always tired, who wears cheap shoes and works like a dog."
A ripple of murmurs passed through the students around them.
Aidan's hands curled into fists at his side. He stayed silent.
"You always said you'd marry me after graduation," she laughed, cruel and clear. "But honestly? I don't want to be some broke man's bride. I want to be somebody's wife. Not anybody's."
Laughter bubbled from the crowd. Phones were coming out. Recording.
He stared at her—eyes empty, voice absent.
She frowned. "Aidan? Aren't you going to beg? Cry? Say something?"
He stepped past her.
Didn't look back.
Didn't say a word.
Just walked out the door.
The evening sky was overcast as he walked through the quieter part of downtown. He had no job to get to tonight. No one to text. Nothing to chase anymore.
Just… space. And silence.
The stone in his pocket pulsed once.
A strange warmth flickered up his spine. Like being watched. Hunted.
He turned the corner—and stopped.
Five men stood in the alley ahead, steel rods in hand. Their faces hidden under hoodies and caps.
Aidan stepped back instinctively.
Another figure stepped out from behind him, blocking the exit.
Polished shoes. Gold chain. Leather jacket.
Kellan.
Of course.
"You really thought you could keep crawling around the same world as me?" Kellan sneered, folding his arms.
Aidan didn't respond.
"You touched something that belonged to me," he continued. "You were supposed to stay in your place. A trash boy working five jobs doesn't get to dream about women like her."
Aidan clenched his jaw. "You're not worth this much effort."
Kellan's smile faded.
He nodded once.
The first blow struck his shoulder. Then his ribs. His leg.
He didn't scream—just gritted his teeth as the pain tore through him.
They beat him like he was a thing. Not a person. A body to leave in an alley. Nothing more.
Kellan crouched beside him as blood pooled around his hands.
"Let this be your final lesson," he whispered. "This world eats people like you alive."
He stood.
"Kill him."
The last thing Aidan saw before the steel rod cracked across his skull…was the stone falling from his pocket, glowing blood-red.
And then, the world turned black.
But as consciousness slipped away, a voice echoed in the darkness:
[Crimson Ledger activating… establishing contract… initializing valuation…]
"Debt confirmed. Coinage acquired. Trade channel unlocked."
[Host status: Flatlined. Rebooting.]