"Life is a spectacle that people perceive in their own way."
Life moves only by cause and effect—that's what makes it unpredictable. Some are born into money and power. Others are left with scraps, waiting for their inevitable deaths. But there are a few who bend the rules to their will. That is life in this city: a dark cloud looming over the weak so the powerful can take everything.
"Nigel, wash the walls."
"Nigel, clean the bathrooms and then make dinner for the rest of the kids."
"Why aren't you cleaning, Nigel!? Do you really want to be beaten that badly? Come here, and I'll teach you what happens when you don't listen to your elders!"
The orphanage director drags Nigel by the legs into his office. The other children hear the brutal thuds, the screams. They sit frozen, afraid to breathe too loudly. They know—if they speak, if they move, they'll suffer the same fate.
Nigel stumbles out later, whip marks burning across his back, barely able to stand. Limping toward his room, he feels dozens of little eyes staring at him in silence.
Alone, staring out the window, tears blur his vision.
"Why do I have to endure this torture every single day? If this is living, I don't want it anymore. Mom… I wish you were still here. I don't want to be here anymore."
He curls on his bed, sobbing. Sadness curdles into rage. Escape becomes the only thought that makes sense.
A knock interrupts his spiral. Blake, a younger boy who idolizes Nigel, peeks in.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Just a couple bruises."
"Don't lie—you were bleeding from your head down!"
"Don't worry about me. As long as I'm here, I won't let him hurt you."
Blake's eyes fill with tears. "If he kills you, none of us will survive."
Nigel forces a weak grin. "It'll take more than him to kill me."
Blake sniffles. "If you ever need to talk… we're all here."
"I know. Now get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."
When Blake leaves, Nigel closes his eyes. At least he has something worth protecting. Sleep finally comes—but only to drag him into a nightmare.
He wanders through the woods. A monster feasts on a deer ahead. A branch snaps under his foot. The beast lifts its head and charges. He runs, heart pounding, but it slashes his back, knocking him down. Its jaws open wide for the final strike—
Nigel jolts awake, drenched in sweat. To calm himself, he whispers the lullaby his mother used to sing:
"Close your eyes and listen to the world.
Hear the laughter and joy of the world.
Make the world a wonderful world.
Only the Lord can judge your sins."
Three years pass. Three years of endless beatings. Nigel takes them all, shielding the other children. They patch him up, sneak him food, whisper thanks.
Until the director finds out.
One night, Nigel wakes to screams. Sprinting to the cafeteria, he sees Blake crumpled on the floor, the director's fists dripping with blood, other children strewn unconscious.
"What are you doing!?"
The director sneers. "I found out the kids were feeding you. I'm teaching them a lesson."
"Let them go! I'll take their punishment."
"Not this time. You've had enough. Now they'll learn consequences."
Something inside Nigel snaps. Rage blinds him. He grabs a kitchen knife and plunges it into the director's side.
"You little shit!" the director roars. "I'll bury you next to your mother!"
"Not if I kill you first!"
The fight erupts. Nigel, only fifteen, throws desperate punches, but the man is too strong. He slams Nigel into the ground again and again, blood spilling from Nigel's mouth.
"Don't die yet, boy. I'm just getting started."
"Go to hell," Nigel spits.
The director laughs. "You'll get there first."
Nigel's vision fades—until Blake, barely conscious, crawls toward the knife still stuck in the director. With a final burst, Blake drives it deeper.
The man howls, loosening his grip. Nigel gasps for air.
The director rips the blade free and turns on Blake, beating him savagely. Nigel, half-dead, forces himself up. He sees Blake's blood pooling. He sees the knife.
With the last of his strength, Nigel lunges, snatches the weapon, and buries it in the director's neck.
The giant staggers, clutching at the wound, choking on his own blood.
Nigel whispers, "You'll rot in hell."
"Blake… call the cops. Tell them what happened."
"What about you?" Blake coughs.
"I'm leaving. I'll provide for you all, from the shadows."
"You can't just go!"
"I would've been kicked out in a few years anyway. Don't worry—do something with your lives. I'll come back. I promise."
"…You better."
Nigel takes the knife, tears blurring his vision as he leaves behind his family. Blake lies to the police—claims a burglar killed the director.
Nigel spends nights eating from trash cans, sleeping under bridges.
One evening, in the slums, Nigel sees four boys jumping a kid his age. He doesn't think—he charges in.
"Hey! Leave him alone!"
"Mind your business, or you're next!"
"Then let's get this over with."
The fight is brutal. Nigel takes hits, lands harder ones. The boy he saved fights back too. Together, they drive the bullies off.
Exhausted, both collapse.
"Thanks," the boy pants.
"No problem. I hate bullies."
"You should come back to my place."
Nigel hesitates. "I don't want to crash at your parents' house."
"I live alone."
"What!? You look my age."
"My parents died. The landlord lets me stay until I turn eighteen. Name's Zack. And you?"
"Nigel."
"Nice to meet you, Nigel. Come on—I'll feed you."
Zack's apartment is small but warm, filled with gadgets and half-built drones. For the first time in years, Nigel feels at ease.
Over food, Zack leans forward. "You ever hear of data thieves?"
"No. What's that?"
"People pay us to steal corporate information. It's dangerous, but the money's real. Five hundred to millions of credits a job, depending on skill."
Nigel smirks. "Better than sleeping under bridges."
"Good. Because I'm one. And now, so are you."
Two years pass. Nigel and Zack rise to infamy, known as the Silver Hand Duo—one of the most feared teams of data thieves in Vexus. Nigel keeps his promise, visiting the orphanage, now under better hands.
Then comes the contract that will change everything:
500,000 credits. A heist against Helix Dynamics, one of the Big Three.
The job that will seal their fate.