A New Begining

Hey, guys, I have made some changes to this chapter as I had written the other one late at night, and I was also half asleep then.

So enjoy the new and improved chapter.

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Well, well, what a lovely sight to wake up to! The sweet fragrance of rotting garbage mixed with sewage is something that I'll never forget. The sight of hills of trash joined together to form such an intricate art form is truly a sight to behold. I mean, who wouldn't want to wake up in a room worse than a fucking garbage dump? Am I right?

But let me tell you how I ended up in this delightful abode.

Now, where do I start? Ah, yes, my childhood. It was a massive pain in the ass, and being an orphan didn't help. Finding a family among the other boys at the orphanage was the one silver lining. We were ten in total, and we bonded like brothers. Unfortunately, life at the orphanage was far from ideal. They were nothing short of bastards that needed to be put down.

Their favorite pastime was tying us up and touring us. Who wouldn't want to be a tourist attraction, right? Being the oldest, I could hold back my tears and cries, but that wasn't the case with my younger brothers. Their cries were music to the ears of the staff.

And let's remember the luxurious food we had. Who needs proper clothing, medical care, or basic human needs when you have a delicious meal of stale bread and water daily? It was a harsh and unforgiving environment, but we had each other to rely on.

As I entered my teenage years, I took my brothers and left the orphanage. I did whatever odd jobs I could find to make ends meet. Finally, I ended up joining a gang. It was dirty work, but I was determined to take lives if it meant that my brothers could live.

Oh, but let me tell you, I never ever opened up about this with my brothers. What was the point? They were too young to understand, and I wouldn't burden them with my pain. Instead, I put on a tough exterior and ensured they never had to suffer again.

As time passed, my brothers moved on. They forgot about the past and started living their lives. But me? I never forgot. Every night, the memories of the orphanage haunted me like a bad dream. The beatings, the hunger, and the despair were still fresh in my mind.

And then, one day, karma caught up with the orphanage. It burned to the ground, and the staff met their fiery demise.

The good thing was that there were no children at the orphanage then, as they had been transported out of there a week prior. It turned out that someone had notified the authorities about the atrocities happening in that hell disguised as an orphanage.

But even my brothers didn't know the truth. They thought it was a freak accident, a stroke of bad luck. Little did they know, I was behind it all. As the oldest among my brothers, I never forgave or forgot what those demons did to us. And when the opportunity arose, I went all in. I killed every last one of those sadistic fuckers and watched with a smile as they burned to ashes.

Revenge tasted sweet, like nectar. But I never told my brothers what I did. What was the point? They were happy, and that was all that mattered. I just silently vowed to protect them, no matter what.

I know what you're thinking, "Varun, you're a cold-blooded killer!" But don't judge me until you've walked a mile in my shoes. Besides, they deserved it."

•••

Years had flown by since my brothers, and I had escaped from the gray walls of the orphanage. We had weathered so much together, and our bond grew stronger as time passed.

Liam suggested that we adopt a family name reflecting our unity. After much discussion, we finally settled on Ashborn, a name inspired by a character from a Korean webtoon we used to read. It had felt like the perfect fit for us.

Despite our rough past, we all worked hard to build a new life for ourselves. And then, the day I had long awaited arrived - I had landed a big deal that would have allowed me to break free from my life as a gangster and start anew with my brothers.

But as fate would have it, my rivals had caught wind of the deal and attacked us. Amid the chaos, I had managed to slip away, but my gang was left in shambles. I was left with no choice but to take charge and seek revenge.

We had stormed our rivals' base and given them a taste of their own medicine, finally achieving justice for all the lives they had taken. Things started to look up after that, and for a brief moment, I thought I could finally leave the criminal world behind.

But as luck would have it, one night, as I was walking home from a job, I was ambushed by my own men. I fought back with all my might but was outnumbered and outgunned. Ultimately, they left me in the sewage canal, bleeding out and surrounded by rats.

As I lay there, struggling to stay conscious, my mind raced with thoughts of my brothers. I had always tried to protect them, but now it seemed I had failed. A deep sense of regret washed over me as I thought about the life I had planned to give them, one that I would never be able to see through.

But then, in the midst of the darkness, a memory flashed through my mind. It was of us all sitting around the dinner table, sharing stories and laughing till our sides ached. I thought about the countless hours we spent playing video games and discussing our dreams. I realized that despite the hardships, we had created some beautiful memories that would last a lifetime.

As I felt my life slipping away, I thought about the legacy I wanted to leave behind. I wanted my brothers to remember me as someone who had always tried to protect them, even if he wasn't always successful. In my own sarcastic way, I even joked that it would be the perfect excuse for all my shortcomings.

And then, as if in a dream, a bright light shone in the distance. It felt like a sign that everything would be okay and that my brothers and I would be reunited somewhere far away from this cruel world.

With that thought, I closed my eyes and let myself slip away, content with the knowledge that I had done my best to protect my brothers and create a life worth living. As the darkness enveloped me, I couldn't help but smirk at the irony of it all - dying like a rat in a sewage canal after all I had been through. But then again, life has a funny way of throwing curveballs at you, right?

•••

I thought I was a goner. But instead of meeting my end, I felt a strange sensation, and everything went black. I was in a completely different world when I opened my eyes again.

As I struggled to get up, my body ached, and my mind spun. The darkness surrounding me seemed to swallow everything, with no walls or structures in sight and no signs of life. Was this the afterlife? Was I stuck here forever? Well, it was better than that stinky sewer I was in before.

I took a few deep breaths and, with a newfound determination, began walking through the darkness. The void seemed to lift with each step I took, and I could see more clearly.

Suddenly, as if by magic, I found myself in a forest unlike any I had ever seen. The trees were twisted and gnarled, their branches reaching out like claws. The ground was covered in a thick mist, making it hard to see where I was going. But the mist has a familiar flavor.

My foot hit something hard as I stepped forward. Looking down, I saw a gravestone. And then another, and another. They were all around me, as far as I could see.

"Ah, such a scenic place," I muttered sarcastically.

I tried to leave, but no matter where I turned, there was no way out. It was like the graveyard was endless, a never-ending maze. As I stumbled through the fog, I began to hear whispers. At first, they were indistinct and barely audible. But as I moved closer, they became clearer.

That's when I saw him. A skeleton sat on top of a gravestone, simultaneously smoking two joints. It seems the mist that fills this place has originated from those joints. No wonder it smelled familiar.

"Join me," he whispered, offering me a joint.

The next minute, both of us were sitting on top of gravestones, smoking weed and getting high.

•••

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