Chapter 10 : Uninvited guests

The dim glow of the television flickered in the dark room as Eden lazily scrolled through his phone. His grandmother sat nearby, watching the evening news with a worried expression.

News Anchor: "Another case of street violence occurred last night in the eastern district. Authorities have yet to confirm the identities of those involved, but citizens are growing increasingly concerned about the city's safety—"

His grandmother sighed, shaking her head. "Look at this, Eden. The security situation is getting worse every day. If things keep going like this, how will people even dare to step outside?"

Eden barely looked up from his phone, his response indifferent. "It's just the usual news, Grandma. These things happen all the time."

She frowned. *"That's the problem. People like you think it's normal. Back in my days, it wasn't like this—"

Eden, uninterested in a long lecture, simply nodded along absentmindedly, his focus drifting.

---

Part 2: Unexpected Visitors

The next morning, the butler arrived at their house, holding the hand of a small girl—Stella, Eden's younger sister.

As soon as they stepped inside, Stella crossed her arms and pouted.

"What's the big deal about bringing me here?" she grumbled.

The butler hushed her quickly, glancing at Eden's grandmother, who was sitting in the living room. "Quiet, young miss. This isn't the place to discuss such things."

Stella rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Fine."

They walked further inside, and soon, they found themselves standing in front of Eden's room.

Eden, still half-asleep, sat up in shock when he saw them at his door.

His heart dropped.

His room was an absolute disaster.

The walls were covered with posters of bikini-clad women, the floor was littered with random junk, and to make things worse, cockroaches and lizards scurried around like they owned the place.

Eden swallowed hard. Oh, crap.

Stella and the butler stood frozen at the doorway, taking in the sight before them.

Eden couldn't even move.

"..."

"..."

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Eden cleared his throat and awkwardly gestured toward the drawing room. "Uh… Why don't you guys take a seat over there?"

But the butler wasn't having it. "No need." He walked straight into Eden's room, dragging Stella along.

Eden internally screamed.

As soon as Stella stepped inside, she was hit with the overwhelming stench of unwashed clothes and stale food.

Her eye twitched.

"What the hell is this mess?" she muttered under her breath.

She wanted to scream, but the butler had already warned her not to make a scene in front of their grandmother.

She clenched her fists. "This pervert… I swear, I want to kill him."

Just as she was trying to process the horror of her surroundings, something moved near her foot.

A cockroach.

A big one.

It crawled a few inches closer.

Stella froze. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple.

Just when she was about to explode on Eden, her grandmother's voice echoed from the hallway.

"Who's here? I see a lot of shoes outside."

Eden froze, and so did Stella and the butler.

His grandmother entered the room, her weak eyesight preventing her from noticing the mess in full detail. She glanced around, then smiled.

Then, her gaze fell on Stella.

She squinted slightly and then, with a thoughtful expression, asked—

"Who's this girl? She's quite pretty… Eden, is she your girlfriend?"

Dead silence.

Eden choked on air, and Stella nearly collapsed.

Both of them turned their heads toward the butler, who was trying very hard not to burst into laughter. His shoulders shook slightly as he covered his mouth.

Seeing him, Eden and Stella's anger doubled.

They didn't even say a word—just glared at him murderously.

Still struggling to hold back his laughter, the butler turned his head away, pretending to cough.

Eden wanted to disappear.

Stella clenched her fists. "I swear, I'll kill this idiot later."

But before they could say anything, Grandma suddenly sighed, her expression becoming emotional.

"You know, I never got to see my grandson get married and settle down. I wonder where he is now… if he's doing okay. It's been so many years…" Her voice wavered slightly. "I just hope he's happy, wherever he is."

Everyone went quiet.

Then, she wiped her eyes and smiled warmly. "But you know what? At least I still have my little Eden. I want to see him happy and successful in life."

There was a long silence.

Eden, sensing that the atmosphere had become too serious, quickly changed the topic.

"A-Anyway! Let's stop talking about this! What's for breakfast?"

His grandmother immediately brightened up. "Oh, yes! I made extra ramen today!"

As if on cue, the butler finally let out a small chuckle, and Stella looked like she was plotting Eden's murder.

---

Scene Shifted

It was early morning, the sun slowly rising over the city, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. The streets were mostly empty, except for a few joggers and street vendors setting up their stalls. The sound of the river flowing beside the road added an eerie calmness to the atmosphere.

In the middle of the quiet street, Ryan and Mike stood face to face.

Mike's fists were clenched, his breathing heavy. His eyes burned with anger as he glared at his former friend. Taking a step forward, he demanded,

"Why the hell did you join Hellfire?! If you had to be in a gang, you could've just stayed with us!"

Ryan remained unfazed, his arms crossed as he shot back,

"First tell me why you joined Evil Slayer. I was the only friend you had."

Mike's jaw tightened. His fingers twitched, and then—without warning—he threw a brutal punch straight at Ryan's face.

THWACK!

Ryan's head snapped to the side from the impact. A thin trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. But he didn't stumble. Instead, he wiped the blood away with his thumb and smirked.

"Nice hit."

Before Mike could react, Ryan swung his fist straight into Mike's nose.

CRACK!

Mike staggered back, blood pouring from his nostrils. He groaned in pain but refused to go down. His rage exploded, and with a loud growl, he lunged at Ryan again.

Soon, the two were locked in an intense, violent fight in the middle of the street.

Fists clashed, echoing through the empty road as they hit each other with everything they had. Ryan was slightly stronger, but Mike refused to give in. His relentless attacks forced Ryan to stay on guard.

At one point, Ryan grabbed Mike by the collar and slammed him against a nearby wall. Dust rose from the impact, and Mike gritted his teeth, panting hard. His face was bruised and bloodied, but his spirit was unbroken.

Ryan, wiping his chin, muttered, "You're not bad… but you can't beat me."

He pulled back his fist, ready to land the final blow, but before doing so, he paused and said,

"I'll wait for your decision. You have to join my gang."

Mike spat blood onto the ground, his lips curling into a defiant snarl.

"I'll kill you before that ever happens!"

With sheer determination, he swung a powerful punch—but Ryan was faster. He blocked the attack effortlessly and retaliated with a swift kick to Mike's stomach.

Mike staggered, falling to the ground, struggling to breathe. His body ached, his vision blurred, but his anger remained.

Clenching his fists, he glared up at Ryan and hissed, "I'll never follow a selfish bastard like you. And joining your gang? That's out of the question!"

Ryan looked down at him for a moment, then simply smirked.

"We'll see."

Without another word, he turned around and walked away, leaving Mike on the ground—defeated, but still burning with hatred.