Payback

The Nox Syndicate had always been a shadow in the city, a force that controlled everything from the edges. They were a mix of hard men, twisted by science and violence, and the people they ran over. I knew the Syndicate's name well, but they didn't know me—not yet. That would change today.

I wasn't always strong, and I wasn't always fast. There was a time when I was just another face in the crowd—small, weak, easy to ignore. But when the Nox Syndicate found me, I became their plaything.

It had been a few months since that first encounter. I had thought I could fight back. I'd been wrong. I'd been beaten senseless by the Syndicate's enforcers—the woman with the cybernetic arm, her blows like hammers, and the leader with the half-scrambled faceplate. They didn't care about mercy. They cared about control.

I wasn't ready then. Not by a long shot.

But after they left me broken in that alley, I made a vow to never let that happen again.

That's when I found the dojo and met the old man.

The dojo was hidden in a quiet part of the city, a place few people knew about. It was a small building with faded signs and worn-out mats, the kind of place you'd think no one would ever step foot in. But inside, it was different. The old man was different.

He didn't care about who I was or where I came from. He didn't ask about my past or why I was there. He just saw someone who needed to learn. And for two months, that's exactly what he taught me—just the fundamentals. The basics. The Kage no Jutsu, the Art of the Shadow. He showed me how to move with precision, how to make myself disappear when the world thought it had me. But it was only the beginning. Just enough to survive, just enough to fight back.

And now, standing in the same alley where I'd been humiliated before, I realized that the old man's teachings were the only thing keeping me from crumbling under the weight of my fear. The fundamentals were all I had, but somehow, they were enough.

I stood tall, waiting for Leo and his crew to make their move. The woman with the cybernetic arm was there again, her metal fingers clicking as she stepped forward. The leader with the scrambled faceplate was just behind her, his body bristling with weaponry. They were the same faces, the same cold, merciless expressions.

This time, it wasn't just a bunch of kids picking on me. This was personal. The Nox Syndicate was a beast, and they wanted to make sure I stayed under their heel.

Leo stepped forward first, his grin wide and confident. "You again?" he sneered. "Thought you'd learned your place last time."

I didn't answer him. I didn't need to. Instead, I moved, just like the old man had taught me. First veil, I thought—let them think I'm still the scared kid they remember.

I waited for Leo to make his move. He lunged, just like before. I sidestepped him with a small grunt, grabbing his wrist and twisting with all the strength I had. But it wasn't enough to break him. Not yet.

The woman with the cybernetic arm swung at me next, faster than before, and I barely had time to duck. Her fist grazed my cheek, and I felt the sting of the metal knuckles against my skin. I could feel the panic rise, but I shoved it down. The old man's voice echoed in my mind: No fear. No hesitation.

I caught her next punch, using her momentum to flip her over my shoulder. She landed hard, but before I could even breathe, the leader was on me, his faceplate flashing as he raised a weapon.

I didn't have the skills to take him down yet. I wasn't fast enough to beat him at his game. But I wasn't the same person I had been months ago, lying broken in the alley. I'd learned just enough to make a difference.

I wasn't as strong as them. But I was faster.

The first veil dropped, and for a moment, everything slowed down. The world around me seemed to fade, and I could see their movements before they made them. The Kage no Jutsu wasn't perfected—it wasn't the way I'd learned to disappear yet. But it was enough. I knew where to be before they even knew I was coming.

I darted behind Leo, delivering a sharp elbow to his back, sending him stumbling forward. The woman with the cybernetic arm swung at me again, but this time, I was already gone, slipping past her like a shadow. I didn't have the power to take them down, but I had something better—speed, precision, the element of surprise.

The leader tried to track me, but I was already behind him, landing a blow to his unprotected side, pushing him off-balance. He grunted, spinning around to face me, but I was already moving again, my body flowing with instinct. My heart raced, but the fear—the fear of being beaten down again—wasn't there. Not anymore.

The fight wasn't easy. I wasn't strong enough to stand toe-to-toe with the Syndicate. But I was fast enough to get the first hit in. And once I had them on the defensive, they couldn't keep up.

When it was over, I stood over them—Leo, the woman, and the leader—all gasping for air, blood staining the alley around us. The lessons the old man taught me weren't much, but they were enough. They were enough to show me that I wasn't just a kid who could be broken. I was someone who could stand tall, no matter who came after me.

And as I wiped the blood from my knuckles and walked away, I knew this wouldn't be the last time the Nox Syndicate came for me. But this time, I'd be ready.