003

One year later

The night is not the end of the day. Quite the opposite. The setting sun is a sign that another new life is about to begin. Life isn’t warmer during the day. A whole life of cruel cruelty. It sounds dangerous, but it’s the real meaning of life. It’s as if nature as a living being is tested when surviving in this cruel world.

“Hey! Fight him!”

“Kill that red half-eye!”

“No, surely the one who wins is the odd eye!”

“I bet fifty bucks if the Reds win.”

“I bet you one hundred bucks if that red-eye dies!”

The crowd’s cheers at that time were increasingly thundering around the arena with two figures in the middle. One was a red half-eye boy whose face was already too battered. His shoulders went up and down due to irregular breathing. The boy was none other than Theodore. The boy who escaped from the orphanage now has to go through a cruel, actual life full of suffering. He has to be a street fighter to eat. No matter how much his body hurts, he doesn’t care. Because this is the only way he can survive. As a result of rumours circulating, it is rare for people to accept a little boy who seems to work. Coupled with the different colours of his eyes.

BUGGH!

Theo bounced and almost went out of bounds when the kick hit his body. Fortunately, he could hold back by crossing his arms before the body. Had he been caught off guard, his impact was more severe than the bruise. Theo once even vomited blood because his opponent kicked his solar plexus.

“Hohoho! Is this all you got, boy?!” said the man who was Theo’s opponent. He has a much larger body than Theo so that he will win a landslide victory by calculation.

Meanwhile, Theo tries his best to walk away from the boundary line. If he loses this time, there is no pay, which means he will have to endure hunger until the next match is held, even though he has only eaten the leftover food from the trash can since yesterday.

“No, I’m not giving up...” muttered Theo.

“I love your spirit, boy! As a reward, I will give you a soulful blow you will remember for the rest of your life!”

The man swung his big arm. His palm was clenched firmly like a ship’s anchor. Does anyone know if it had such a deadly impact? The man did not hesitate when he was about to hit the boy in front of him. The look in his eyes implied a murderous, solid desire.

Theo knew that he would most likely lose or, worse, die here. But perhaps that was his destiny. Karma for slaughtering friends of the orphanage one year ago. If that were true, Theo would be willing to die right now. It’s just that the shadow of death seems like a nightmare. Moreover, the memory of the blood of his friends pouring out is very scary. It was so scary that Theo could feel such real pain.

A stupid fate that binds him to karma. Don’t let him breathe for a moment. Thus, Theo knows the only way to accept lousy karma is to live his life now. He slowly got up. With all his might, he tried to strengthen his legs to stand. His breathing was roaring wildly, trying to get as much oxygen as possible to fill his lungs, which had been torn apart by a broken rib.

BRUAGH!

One person has fallen. But it was not Theo, but his opponent. With one determined movement, Theo managed to punch his opponent’s jaw. Made the adult man fall with a bent jaw. Unmistakably, Theo’s fist managed to shift the man’s jawbone.

“The winner is the Red Boy!” exclaimed the referee.

Cheers echoed from Theo’s supporters. While those who lose can only swear and curse their choice.

“Just ten bucks?” asked Theo while staring at the money he received.

“Why? Do you mind, boy?” The bald man barked back with a fierce look. “It’s so hard to earn ten bucks in this place, and you should thank me for letting a little boy like you compete in this arena for free. You know what? People who want to fight here must pay at least fifty dollars.”

Theo lowered his face full of bruises. Ten dollars isn’t worth it for his seriously injured condition. “But this is so little..”

“Do you want to accept it or not?”

Theo squeezed the piece of money firmly. “I accept it.”

“Then hurry away before I change my mind!” snapped the man.

Having no other choice, Theo walked away with a shuffling step. His whole body was now in pain from the repeated blows. Once outside, the sky looked very cloudy. The air temperature became colder, and lightning was heard from a distance. The storm is coming soon. Theo immediately rushed home before the rain fell. But before that, Theo took the time to buy food at one of the shops he saw.

“Excuse me–”

“What are you doing, homeless?! Want to steal, huh?!” the shop owner snapped when he saw the appearance of Theo, who was full of wounds and dirty.

“No, I’m not! I want to buy food and drink.”

“No money, you can’t buy!”

Theo took out the only money he had. “This is all I have. How much can I get?”

The shop owner looked at Theo with a disdainful look before he snatched Theo’s money. “Wait here, and don’t you dare touch anything!” He snapped and went into the store. Not long after, he came out with a bag containing two slices of bread and two bottles of mineral water.

“Em, how much does a medicine for healing wounds cost?” asked Theo.

“It costs fifteen bucks.”

‘A fifteen bucks? I don’t have that kind of money...’ inner Theo. “Would I be able to exchange this one loaf of bread for that medicine?”

“Are you crazy?!” The owner of the store was getting angry. “If you don’t have money, you won’t get it, brat! Go away!”

Theo ran down the alley carrying his shopping. The pain continued to run through his body, but Theo kept running until he reached his home. Or the abandoned place he calls ‘home’. A construction building that has been abandoned for some time and is now starting to look porous due to age. The building, which is far from The Shape of the House, becomes a resting place for Theo.

“I’m home,” Theo muttered as he entered the building.

Unbeknownst to him, someone noticed him from a distance and left after Theo entered.

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