Chapter 13: The Daughters of Wrath

One day, during lunch break at middle school, I sat on the schoolyard with a few of my female classmates. I was in grade 1, around 13 years old, and so was Sansula.Without my knowledge, Maria had orchestrated something sinister. She'd convinced a group of five guys to bully my little brother. "The one who impresses me the most by bullying him will get a date with me," she had said.Fired up and eager to gain her approval, the five guys approached Sansula with the intent to torment him.Afterward, Sansula came running to me, tears streaming down his face, complaining that he had been bullied by his classmates."Ah! Stop crying already!" I snapped. "You're embarrassing me in front of my friends!""But..." he protested weakly."Show me who dared to bully my little brother," I demanded.Sansula led me to the five guys who had harassed him. One of them sneered, "Aw, did you bring your sister to help you out? She's pretty hot, though. Guess you did the right thing after all."A wave of disgust washed over me. These were the kinds of guys who wore streetwear that looked like pajamas, complete with ugly caps trying to hide their receding hairlines."Apologize for bullying my little brother, or else..." I threatened."Oooh, I'm so scared!" one of them mocked. Then, one of them stepped forward, grabbing my chin. "Say, are you single? You've got some nice, kissable lips, you know?"I felt a surge of rage, but before I could react, my friends and a few other kids rushed over to see what was happening. Sansula, sensing things were about to escalate, ran off—probably to fetch a teacher.But as he fled, I noticed that Maria had intercepted him. I wondered why. Did she not want anyone to intervene? Or was this all part of her twisted plan to let the situation spiral out of control?The five guys kept pushing, taunting me. And then, something snapped. All I could see was red. When I regained my senses, the five of them were on the ground, writhing in pain, unable to stand.I approached the guy who had touched my chin, still seething with anger. Grabbing his hand, I whispered coldly, "I should break every finger of yours for daring to touch me.""No... please! I'm sorry! I'll never misbehave again! Please, forgive me!" he begged, his voice trembling.I was just about to snap his finger when suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Tshikuta, holding me back. "Haven't you done enough?" he said, his voice calm but firm.Tshikuta always knows how to keep me in check. He has this uncanny ability to calm me when my rage threatens to take over. I think he was made for me. After all, as Ira of Wrath, I need someone like him—someone who can reign in my fury when it gets out of hand. That person is Tshikuta.Meanwhile, Maria met up with the five guys who had bullied Sansula, as she'd instructed them to. They had a brief exchange in the school hallway."None of you impressed me," she said sharply. "Honestly, I felt secondhand embarrassment. You all got beaten by a girl like her? Pathetic."One of the guys, trying to recover, remarked, "You know, you're even more attractive when you're angry..."That comment only served to further infuriate Maria. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips curled into a twisted smile. "You know what? Out of sheer pity, I'll give you all something better than a date with me." She paused for dramatic effect. "Follow me."The guys, eager and excited, trailed behind her. "Uh, where are we going, Maria?""To the sports hall," she answered cryptically."Do you have permission to be there after class?"Maria casually pulled out a set of keys and flashed them. "How do you think I got these?" she asked, turning to wink at them.Soon, the six of them were inside the sports hall. Maria turned to face them with a smirk. "I was going to reward you with a date, but I changed my mind. That would just ruin your precious friendships."One of the guys, clearly excited by the possibility of a reward, exclaimed, "You're so thoughtful, Maria! You're an angel!"Maria smiled darkly, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Why don't we play a game of dodgeball?" she proposed. "The first one to hit me with a ball gets to go on a date with me."The guys, eager for the challenge, grinned. "That's easy! How many balls are we using?"With a playful smirk, Maria handed each of them one ball. "Five," she replied, her voice dripping with challenge."Are you sure about that?" one of the guys asked, a confident smirk on his face. "You're making it too easy for us."Maria gathered her hair into a tight bun and took a few steps back, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Let's get this over with. I don't have all day!" she said, her voice laced with excitement as she clapped her hands together.The guys, eager for the challenge, threw their dodgeballs at her with all their might. But Maria dodged each one with fluid grace, her movements almost effortless, leaving them stunned and frustrated.With a flick of her wrist, Maria seized the balls, her eyes narrowing in focus. She threw them back at the guys with such force that they barely had time to react. The impact was brutal—broken noses, bloodied faces, black eyes, and a few knocked-out teeth. One by one, they crumpled to the floor, unconscious from the sheer force of the blows, writhing in pain."Those who fail to follow my orders," Maria said coldly, her voice like ice, "will receive only punishment."She walked over to the guy who had dared to compliment her when she was angry. He was groaning on the ground, clutching his broken nose. Maria knelt down, her gaze unwavering as she looked down at him. "Do you still find me attractive?" she asked, her voice dripping with venom. "You had the audacity to touch my sister with your filthy hands. I only told you to bully Sansula. You had no right to even look her way."She grabbed his hand, her grip firm and unrelenting. "Does the black eye I gave you hurt? Poor thing," she said, her tone feigning sympathy, though it was anything but genuine. "Maybe I should kiss your fingers, one by one."Without waiting for his response, Maria twisted his hand sharply, snapping his fingers with a sickening crack. She did the same to his other hand, her expression unreadable as the man gasped in pain, his body shaking from the agony.The room was silent except for the groans of the men lying on the floor, each of them struggling to comprehend the consequences of crossing her. Maria stood over them, her face expressionless as she surveyed the aftermath of her calculated punishment.