Leon was wandering the streets like a zombie, barely dodging the incoming traffic and catching himself from stumbling over at the last moment. The betrayal, shock and disappointment from the day’s events was driving him to the edge of a nervous breakdown.
He didn't know where he was, or where his other belongings were… his phone, his bank card, the reports– he wasn't aware of anything at this point.
All he knew was that some time during the phone call with Addie, he had walked out of the hospital without saying a word to anyone. What was the point of staying anyway?
It's not like anyone could help him get back control of his life, or his savings; nobody could offer him anything other than pity.
He didn't want to talk to anyone, nor did he want to sit and wallow in self- pity; and so, he was out on the streets, while memories flashed before his eyes. And in hindsight, his whole life starting from childhood to adulthood, just seemed like a collection of missed opportunities and shattered dreams… and there he was in the middle of everything, helpless and hopeless.
He thought about his wife’s words, she used to call him a loser who didn't have the courage to stand up for himself… and maybe, she was right.
He was a total loser: who had allowed his boss to mistreat and bully him, he had allowed his wife to walk over him like a doormat and even cheat on him, and now, he was being tortured by a fatal disease.
It was a good thing that he was going to die soon, because in any case, he couldn't think of a good enough reason to keep living.
Leon was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when the sun had set and the sky had darkened. It was already night time, and the city was lit by the cold and harsh glow of streetlights.
By the time he came to his senses, the streets were almost deserted, but Leon didn’t even know where to go.
He couldn't go back home, because it would only remind him of his wife's betrayal… neither did he have any family or friends in the city where he could crash for the night, and it's not like he could go to a hotel with just twenty dollars in his account.
He felt lost, wandering aimlessly through the city’s streets, his mind numb…
However, at this moment, the sound of tires screeching to a halt echoed in the empty streets. Leon was startled and he looked up, only to see a car pulling to a stop abruptly beside him.
Before he could react, several men had surrounded him, their faces hard and menacing. It took him some moments to realize that his path was blocked by a pair of tall and muscular men.
Leon turned around, hoping to find some other way, but more gangsters approached from every direction, cutting off any chance of retreat and effectively trapping him there.
The leader of the group, a tall man with a scar running down his cheek, stepped forward. Even though it was dark and the light from the street lamps was not very bright, the predatory glint in the leader's eyes could not be missed.
Leon’s heart pounded in his chest, but he felt too exhausted and defeated to even consider running. He knew that there was no point in that, they would chase him down anyway.
"Stop running like a scared bunny, little boy! Be a man for once in your life."
The leader challenged, and for some reason, this line really pushed Leon's buttons. He frowned, asking;
“What do you want? Why are you bothering me?”The leader sneered;
“Easy there, tiger. Don't be in such a hurry, we have plenty of time for questions and answers tonight. Because someone has paid us well to teach you a lesson.”It didn't take Leon long to figure out what was happening; it had to be his boss, who had sent these gangsters to put him in his place.
But this was the final straw in a day, which had been filled with non-stop humiliation and betrayal. Anger welled up inside Leon, pushing out all the fear and sadness from his chest and replacing it with pure adrenaline.
Leon's eyes turned red with rage as he stared down the leader. He had stayed quiet and endured enough for today, and he wasn't going to listen to everything silently anymore.
“Then you can tell your master, I’m done with this shit!”
Without thinking, Leon charged at the leader, and his sudden aggression took the gangsters by surprise. They had expected a broken man, who would be easy to intimidate; at least after a few good punches.
Leon jumped on him, grabbing the leader by the collar and shaking him, and screaming like a wild beast. This was completely unexpected, and even the leader stumbled back by the sheer force of this, along with his shock and fear.
After all, they were just gangsters, not soldiers who had been trained to handle any level of aggression.
In fact, the other men were also caught off guard by this unexpected display of aggression, and for a moment, they stood there, not knowing what to do. The leader, now panicked, yelled out;
"What are you bastards waiting for!? Just help me and get this dog off me! Do something!”
His underlings, who were initially stunned and frozen in their places, acted as if the leader's voice had electrocuted them.
They suddenly jumped into action and rushed forward to pull Leon away from him.
But Leon had nearly lost control of his own body and mind, and in his anger, he tightened his grip around the leader’s neck, choking him aggressively.
"You have messed with the wrong guy today! Now you’ll pay for it!”
One of the gangsters freaked out on seeing that the leader's face was turning blue, and in his desperation, he grabbed a baseball bat.
Acting out of sheer panic, he swung the bat with his full strength, striking the back of Leon’s head with a loud thud. Immediately, Leon’s grip went slack, and he crumpled to the ground.
The leader, gasping for breath, staggered to his feet. He was definitely relieved to have the wild beast away from himself, even though he would never admit that he was genuinely scared for his life.
He felt his frustration rising as he looked down at Leo, and delivered a heavy kick to his side. He laughed out loud, a cruel, mocking sound.
“Now who's the one paying, huh?! Are you having fun now, tough guy?”
The leader had taunted Leon to mock him, expecting that he would either curl up after the kick to his ribs, or at least groan and moan in pain. Unexpectedly though, there was complete silence.
The leader’s laughter faltered, and he felt a creeping sense of dread take over him. He forced himself to calm down, kneeling beside Leon and reaching out with trembling fingers to check for a pulse.
As his fingers touched Leon’s neck, he felt nothing. No breath, no heartbeat.
The reality hit him like a punch to the gut as the leader screamed in horror, stumbling backward and falling onto the pavement.
"He… he is dead!"
His eyes were wide with fear as he stared at the body of the man… lying on the road in a pool of blood, completely lifeless.
________
The leader's face was twisted in horror as the reality of the situation sank in… he was in deep trouble, more than he had ever bargained for. "Oh shit… shit, shit shit…" he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over his pounding heart. "He… he is– we killed him. No, one of you bloody bastards killed him! And now the cops… the cops could be here any moment!"The other gangsters looked around frantically, their own fear reflecting in their wide eyes. There was an outbreak of panic in the group, and without waiting for orders, a few of them turned around and bolted, running away as fast as they could."What are you looking at, you fools? Help me up!" The leader shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. He struggled to his feet, his legs shaking under his weight. Some of his most loyal followers rushed forward, supporting him by the arms. The remaining men were stunned, glancing nervously around for the one who had struck Leon. But of course, he wasn't waiting around to be
Leon could hear a beeping sound near his head, and the faint sound of medical equipment was only becoming louder and more persistent in his ears. He tried to move, but he felt some heaviness in his limbs. It was a struggle to open his eyes, and when he finally managed to, his vision was blurry and unfocused. Suddenly, a cheerful voice pierced through the fog. "He woke up! Mom, he's up! His eyes are open!"Leon’s eyes shifted towards the sound. A little girl stood at the foot of his bed, her face lit up with genuine amazement and happiness. As his vision cleared, he saw a beautiful woman walking towards him.Their gaze met, and the woman's eyes widened with surprise before she said,“You're right, sweetie! Let me inform them." "Doctor, nurse! The patient is awake!" She called out, her voice carrying a sense of urgency. She was dressed in a set of crisp formal clothes, and Leon couldn't place her at all. Who was she, and had they met before?Leon’s mind was still in a fog of confusi
Leon sat up straighter, his mind racing with confusion and curiosity. How could it be impossible for him to have cancer? It wasn't anything less than a miracle to go from having advanced stage terminal cancer to being completely cancer free and in perfect health within less than twenty four hours!Unless… could it be a mistake? There was only one way to confirm it; if he managed to get his examination results from the other hospital, to prove to the woman that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding, and he was getting too hopeful on the basis of just one comment. Leon was thinking about how he might be able to retrieve the documents he had left behind at the other hospital, but before he could discuss anything with the woman, a sudden chaos erupted outside the room. The woman's face turned serious as she heard the commotion in the hallway. "Just stay put for a few minutes, I need to see what is happening outside. I own this hospital, a
Emily was in despair knowing that the hound could brutally attack her innocent little daughter. Sarah’s eyes remained closed as her hands and knees trembled out of this terrifying moment.Meanwhile, Watt's outburst of laughter does not show any pity for the poor little girl. “Don’t feel sorry for this pathetic little girl. She was just an adopted daughter anyway—merely a bastard. After we get married, she will be kicked out of our lives,” he declared arrogantly.However, when the hound was a few inches away from Sarah, its fangs were ready to bite the poor kid, Leon got through its way rapidly, punched the hound heavily, and flew 3 meters away. The hound was chased away and burst out a horrible shriek.“Get off her!” Leon yelled furiously. He suddenly became a completely different person, not showing any weakness as a patient even though he was admitted to the hospital.Watt’s jaw dropped. He didn’t expect Leon to knock down his precious hound in a single attack. He was so confused ab
Leon was shocked but apparently, this old man and his men saved his life. If it weren’t for them, he might be tortured by Watt’s guardians already. With a confused face, he asked, “Who are you?” He was so clueless about what this old man was talking about. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere, talking words Leon failed to understand.The old man bowed to Leon. “Finally, I found you, young master,” he said respectfully.It made Leon more confused. Why did he call him young master and why is he looking for him? “Can you tell me what is happening here?” he asked desperately. He thinks that maybe this old man just mistook him with someone else. There is no way he can be a young master in an instant.The old man smiled genuinely. “You are my young master. By the way, who are those guards and where did they get the guts to offend my young master?” he asked with a gritted tooth. The smile on his face suddenly faded and turned darker knowing that people tried to hurt his young master.Howe
Despite the frightening situation that Leon has witnessed earlier, he is left with no choice but to trust the old man. Indeed, he was cruel and heartless but he also saved his life from those men. He believes that the old man only did his duty since he recognized Leon as his young master.As the car rushed to the villa at a high speed, the old man spoke out. “Young master, I’m glad that I have finally found you. You are the only son of the Tarlose family I have been looking for so long,” he revealed.Leon’s forehead creased. He didn’t get any of his words since the first time they met earlier. It seemed that the old man knew his strange identity which he wasn’t aware of at all.“I never heard of that family. How come I became their only son? Can you explain it further to me, please,” he baffled. Not having an idea about it makes him anxious about his own identity. He also doubts whether he will believe what the old man says or not.“You probably haven’t heard about them because they a
Leon was anticipating. He is very eager to learn more about his family. “Okay, what do you want to know, young master? Just ask me your questions, and I will do my best to answer them as much as possible,” he instructed.With a curious face, Leon asked; “Does the magical ring have the power to cure my lung cancer? I found out that I was healed and it was so strange for me before I met you. I thought it was sort of a miracle.”The old man smiled. “Yes, the ring cured you. It has magic and your blood activated it,” he nodded.Leon was amazed. He got even more interested in the ring and its power. He never imagined that he had this ring on his finger all this while, without knowing that it could save his life from near death.“Can you tell me more about the ring and its magic?” he asked, excitedly.The old man can’t help but smile because of his young master’s initiative to learn more about his identity.“Actually, it was the ring of Apollo. 12 families controlled 12 rings in this world.
After they took down all the guardians at the gate, the car rushed to the villa and didn’t even stop. Leon was left in awe and he could see how his team was very eager to defeat his enemy.“Please just watch us, young master. We will save your friends and teach your enemy his lesson. No one is allowed to offend my young master, not even until my last breath!” the old man pledged.Leon was flustered and he couldn’t believe how they were so loyal to him. It seemed that they could do everything just to protect him which he never experienced before.The guardians in the villa heard the noise and they immediately rushed out. The old man and his men opened the car door. “Just stay inside, young master. Let us handle this,” he instructed.Leon nodded and let the old man signal his men to attack the guardians. They were like Flash and Superman. They killed all the guardians like ants. They were no match compared to the men that the old man brought with him.Hoping for a good outcome, Leon pat