[V] "These Are The Rules Of My Game..."

Port Blazefall, Alleyways Of The Central Business District

...Koi...

In a world that had developed so far. Would it be impossible to feel totally out of place? From a life filled with luxury and bliss, why would I be the one that death would come to visit?

How long can you continue to run away?

Was I wrong to assume the names and statuses of my forebears would keep me safe? In a world, I was neglectful to see? that had rapidly been changing before my eyes, left me in total ignorance with a paralyzed state of mind about the reality set before me. I swear in none of my worst dreams had I ever considered this as my fate. The slippery fish trying to swim its way out of the jaws of death. In some way, I still can't believe this would be the end of me...

When did everyone assume that I am the enemy?

These two sentences ran through the mind of young man with bright blues eyes hidden by the shadow of a very black, wet hoody that had been dumped by the night rain that seemed to a common thing around this time but he insisted on keeping it on so that he would also use it to hide his short, messy blonde hair. The same hair that would give him away if some caught a clear glimpse. The alleyway was dark and filled with a rotten sense of the cruel poverty given to people unwillingly. As always the city was bustling and he knew that there would be a few patrols out like the one 45 degrees from his twelve o clock who seemed to had noticed him, he seemed to be one of few who seemed to distribute their contraband in the city hoping to make money from the stupid college kids who happen live near to the campus or happened to be passing through, but looking at the way he was going at it his business had to be small-scale distribution of weak quality Ticks or as Dad used to call them EXP. If he was moving anything heavier, he wouldn't spend his time fighting the routine inspection of local authority or get shot by the greedy trying to find their way up the food chain, Rather make them your friends and get to know their families as if you weren't the one waiting for their rebellious days, so you can grow your profit margin. No, he was just the average corner boy who had dreams of making it big and I've seen enough to watch them all die in their misery of things they had no control over. Battles that were predestined for those who were considered the elite to them and wherever I went no one seemed to challenge their authority.

The SouthSide Neighborhoods are no exception even though they follow the ways of the old government, their only way of protection from the others is their ties to the mafia that were agreed on by corrupt politics funded by their excessive taxes and excessive police force which happen to ex-cons or military. They always seem to be complaining about their police brutality but who wouldn't these mad psychos were all juiced and bred by Blue Ticks Pharmaceutical companies which were funded by the lucrative investments of the mafia. Since the Crossroads Alliance was established over 18 years ago, the city has been safer than ever before since the rules of this alliance was simple. No criminal organization from your upcoming street gangs to the elite cartels will fight one another, they will only conduct business peacefully. Anyone who disagreed with this law would be killed, their entire family including close associates would be killed and the entire criminal organization as a whole would suffer the same fate. So it's pretty obvious that everyone would obey this law but since it was created by the mafia, they made sure that they wouldn't suffer from it and since then everyone has been paying them to keep themselves in good favor but even though this was the greatest way to have everyone achieve their goals without the fear of their enemies killing them people like Scorpion Vanchev and his men of the Eastway District weren't really benefiting from it. Due to their lack of powerful allies and their multitude of enemies. They struggle to get by due to the lack of enough turf for there's been a series of infighting between the Eastway Families as means to remove any competition which was also the result of their previous boss being assassinated by his own right which is how Scorpion got into power, by inheritance and the tense between him and those who were next in line for control is pretty intense as many believe he is not qualified for it and chances are they will turn on him is tragically high but the only thing that keeps them in control of Eastway is the numbers, father always claimed that they were a group of fatherless hoodlums who sat on their asses all day hoping to start trouble with anyone they considered an easy catch but I just thought of them as a bunch of rich kids trying to be something they are not. In the past Eastway District was home to the wealthy working-class of Port Blazefall now it's just filled with abandoned homes that they use as trap houses and stash spots, so it's a pretty common thing to see the fire trucks heading that way because some dumbass mixed the ingredients wrong while cooking up their signature grade contraband people seem to like so much.

As that thought crossed his mind he remembered his father and how he was also a chef specializing in making the best contraband the city has ever seen and how his father had always had him make these drugs with him, but it wasn't happy thoughts and just as he was going to that memory, he forced it out of his head immediately as these thoughts would only bring him back the unbearable pain and disgust. This pain was the same reason why he was on this street corner and why he was on the run.

Wow thanks, Dad, forcefully teach your son to make drugs and pharmaceuticals... But you wasted your time 'coz soon I will be dead and ALL those "bonding" moments you considered so special would've been useless... GOD, I'm glad you went...

But to be honest, he didn't really mean that and just brought him to tears as all the memories he tried forcing away burst into his mind and replayed itself slowly and repeatedly, blood, so much blood enough to drown in. He was there. He stood watched them all die as love turned to hate and he couldn't do anything about it and all he thought about was his own life selfishly. The trauma that haunted him made him refuse to accept it, the reality that truly brought his greatest fear to life and turned his dreams into nightmares, hope into terror and tore his sense of sanity to pieces in a blink of an eye... He had watched his entire family be executed and like always all he could do was run away, away from destiny...

How long can you continue to run away?

He brought his hand up to wipe away the rain that was blinding him, it was torn. Tears that been painfully gushing out long before he ever noticed but he had no time to enjoy the comfort of these warm tears. The corner boy was approaching him with a very determined walk, in his hand there was a rusty switchblade and he knew this man's every intention but he hadn't given up yet and jumped quickly across the street into the direction of the patrol car as he turned to look back he noticed the man had stopped. His plan worked, the man wasn't willing to take the risk and he had his opening. Another chance to get away...

WESTWARD...

He would run away again except that this time, it was his last chance at running... Westward Districts. A place that held many of his childhood memories and his last chance at survival. It's been 6 days since he last slept or ate because his bank account being blocked and he was nearly killed by a group of homeless people who happened to have found him sleeping in their area which was the railroad tracks under the bridge heading south but he couldn't let it stop him, he wouldn't accept it and he wasn't ready to die yet. Not Yet. This fear kept him going but he knew he couldn't run forever and no one can escape Death forever...

As time flows like a river, the Koi will swim on with the tide in search for safe waters, well aware of the imminent presence of Death following right behind... Waiting for its fatal mistake... The mistake that would determine destiny...