HellHole

3:30 PM Dirty Town - Palpable City -

Behind Jasper College

Lunpai walked away from school, his white T-shirt contrasting against the school uniform draped over his back. He wore the vest not on his arms but slung behind him, his

hands buried deep in his pockets.The streets were quiet, the kind of quiet that made every footstep echo just a little too loudly.

Suddenly, a voice broke through the

stillness.

"Hey you, I thought I told you to

wait for me!"

He turned around, his gaze meeting a girl running toward him. She wore a skirt that was neither too long nor too short, her curly hair

bouncing with every step. Her blue eyes sparkled with a mix of determination and playfulness, a big smile lighting up her face.

Lunpai didn't respond. He simply turned back and continued walking, leaving her call unanswered.

"What is wrong with him?" she muttered to herself, frustration bubbling beneath her cheery exterior. She quickened her pace, determined to catch up to him. When she finally did, she couldn't hold back her annoyance.

"Can you act like you care, just once?" she demanded, her voice sharp with impatience.

"Do you?" Lunpai replied without breaking his stride.

"What?" she asked, genuinely confused.

Lunpai stopped walking, forcing her to stop as well. "Do you care about school?" His tone was serious, almost challenging. "Of course," she replied with unwavering determination.

Lunpai studied her for a moment before nodding. "Fine, I'll act like I care."

A relieved smile spread across her face. "So, what's your name?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Lunpai Dayout," he answered

simply.

"I'm Fayla, by the way," she added,her tone playful, noticing he hadn't asked for her name. Lunpai smirked to himself, but she didn't notice.

"So, why did you come to Palpable

City?" Fayla pressed further.

Lunpai's expression hardened."I agreed to act like I care, not to answer personal questions.

Undeterred, Fayla darted in front of him, blocking his path."I just want to know why someone quiet like you would come to a place like this," she insisted, her eyes searching

his.

Lunpai brushed past her. "Who said

I'm quiet?"

"You've been here a week, and I still didn't know your name," Fayla retorted, catching up to him once more.

Just then, the atmosphere shifted,the air growing thick with tension.Lunpai sensed it immediately and turned, locking eyes with four boys from his school. He kept walking,

but Fayla's voice cut through the tension.

"Keep walking, they're trouble," she

whispered urgently.

Lunpai listened, his pace steady.But the boys weren't willing to be ignored.

"Hey, quiet puppy!" one of them shouted, trying to provoke him.

"Keep walking," Fayla whispered again, her voice laced with fear.

One of the koys sprinted forward, aiming a kick at Lunpai from behind. Without hesitation, Lunpai ducked, countering with a spinning back kick that connected with the koy's head, sending him sprawling to the ground, unconscious. Fayla gasped, stunned by the sudden violence. Lunpai pushed her behind him, shrugging off his vest as he stood tall, facing the remaining

three.

Two of the boys charged at him with all the force they could muster. The first swung a punch, but Lunpai caught it mid-air. While

holding the first boy's hand, the second one kicked, but Lunpai dodged, causing the blow to land squarely in the first boy's stomach, dropping him to the ground, gasping for air. With swift precision, Lunpai drove an elkow

into the second boy's face, knocking out two of his front teeth. As the boy fell, clutching his bleeding mouth, Lunpai finished him with a brutal kick to the face, leaving him unconscious beside his friend.

The last boy stepped forward, towering over Lunpai with rippling muscles. He stripped off his shirt,revealing a physique that spoke of raw power. With a smirk, he lunged at Lunpai, throwing a massive left hook. Lunpai, sensing the danger,tried to retreat but collided with Fayla. He barely managed to block the punch, raising both hands to shield his face. The force of the blow sent him staggering to the

left, nearly dropping to his knees.His hands throbbed with pain, but he forced himself to stand tall.

Before Lunpai could recover, the boy launched a front kick aimed directly at his head. Lunpai dodged it at the last second and

retaliated with a punch that landed squarely on the boy's jaw.But instead of flinching, the boy grinned, unfazed by the blow.

Lunpai's mind raced, uncertainty creeping in for the first time.

The boy laughed, a cold, menacing sound. "You've really messed up now, little boy..."