1. Even if you Die

Sebastian ran like his life depended on it to the exam hall and actually, his life did depend on it. He had been fighting all night long. Part of his side test for the Guerrieri trials was to defeat an underground den and this was no simple underground den. They used acids actively in their operations and his job was to subdue them or completely wipe them out.

He had fought into the morning – the fight took so long because he had other plans in mind, outside the task given to him by the Guerrieri. He was not a mere contestant; he had a secret agenda, and as an abandoned son, he only had himself to rely on to get revenge and to make a living.

When he checked his time, it was 6 am and he had his first semester test that morning by 8 am. Attendance was the crucial factor here and not necessarily the grade as it would determine if you could write the finals for that semester. He stepped onto the road and as far as he could see, there were no vehicles, not even a bicycle in sight. This was to be expected given they were in an industrially dangerous area of the city. For cars to come here, they had to be acid-proofed.

He checked his sneakers, his jacket and his appearance, everything was on point, apart from the razzed bits here and there which indicated he was in a fight. After confirming his appearance, he sprinted! His university was 5000 meters away and he had to run all the way and make sure he gets there at least by 8 am on the dot, otherwise, he would be kicked out of the hall, the particular lecturer handling that course was that strict.

He was still 1000 meters away when he checked his watch and it was 7:30! He was out of breath, exhausted and wanting nothing more than to collapse on the road but he needed to speed up. If he missed this test, his future and his spot at the Guerriero trails would be compromised big time. He could not afford any of those happening, not after how far he had come, not after all he had put in and all he still needed to do, not now! He still needed to get revenge and he needed to survive.

Thinking about what he still needed to do, a new surge of adrenaline came upon him and his speed increased.

700 meters

500 meters

300 meters

At that point, he saw a helicopter land on the helicopter pad of his school. From his position, the building it landed on seemed opposite to the building he was running to for his test.

200 meters

100 meters

Then he arrived at the building for his test and sprinted all the way upstairs. He opened the door immediately after the bell went off, signalling 8 am and the commencement of the test.

But

He wasn’t the only one to push open the door at that exact moment, a girl pushed open the door at the other end of the class when he did. The lecturer was staring at him and the girl, sighed and said, since you’re right on time, come and get your papers and answer sheet.

Sebastain’s gaze lingered on the girl for a while before he moved to get his test papers, he had to tear his mind away from her if he wanted to focus on his test. When he sat down, he recalled that he didn’t bring a pen with him. Before he could raise his hand to say something, his best friend Max threw a pen over to him mouthing “I’ve got you bro”, and then faced his paper.

Only Sebastian was shocked, even horrified as he stared at his friend who threw him the pen. He looked at his friend who seemed to be writing fine, like he was not in the emergency unit of the hospital just last week… He had to tear his focus away from him and focus on his test. He could always talk to Max later but the test had to come first at that moment; he could not afford to fail.

.

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1 Week Earlier

That morning, Sebastian was on his way to school, he was thinking about how he needed to add more part-time jobs to his regimen to be able to pay off the extra bills that came with final year in college. He had not been eating well for a week now – just some water and bread to get by – and he was an active judo and martial arts practitioner. If he wanted to be alive and graduate, he needed to first eat well, then pay his bills.

It did not make sense why he struggled so much. His parents had been absent since he was 7. They disappeared without a word, or explanation or leaving him to someone to care for him. He only remembered his father dropping him at the front gate of a judo training centre, sternly warning him to never stop practising judo as long as he was breathing. He could still vividly hear his words that night,

"Even if you were to die the next day and you miss your practice, I will personally come to the gates of hell to give you a spanking!". Which father does that?!

His father pointed him to a Judo store where he could hone his skills but told him nothing more. Despite how good he got, the judo store refused to hire him as an instructor – none of the martial arts stores around that area employed him! He was also not allowed to be a bodyguard or use his skills – just train and that was it. At least the training was free. He had to fend for himself from 7 years of age and it seemed like the instructors in the Judo store didn’t care how he survived, as long as he kept training. He concluded that they were lunatics and nearly left them for their lack of sensitivity. The only thing that held him back was his father’s stern warning and his love for Judo. The Judo store also had hidden Grandmasters which was a rarity in the country, so he concluded it was best to remain with them till he learned all he could.

As he walked through the school gates still thinking of his life, wearing clothes worn out toilet rags were better than, he caught the beautiful aroma of piping hot rice and chicken sauce and his stomach growled louder than the sound of two grizzly bears fighting. He ducked his head, cursing his stomach a bit and was about to sprint out of that area out of embarrassment when an old man dragged him by the arm to the corner.

He was the gateman of the school and he adored Sebastian like his own son.

“Child, it’s the beginning of the Semester and I’d reckoned you would look like what the dog dragged in on your first day. Guess what? I wasn’t wrong!” He laughed happily.

“Gramps, there is no need to make fun of me. You know this is my best wear and I only wear it for special occasions! You gifted me these clothes!” Sebastian frowned.

“And you want to wear it till you die before you discard it right? It’s been 4 years since I gave you these clothes son, four years! You wore it non-stop for two straight years before you got some others”.

“Gramps…” he scratched his head awkwardly.

“That’s alright, come have some food. Take it as my welcome to finals gift! Soon, you would leave this old man all alone in this school”

“Don’t say that Gramps, you know I will bring you out of this place one day and give you a well-deserved retirement!”

“Haha, I’m not cut out for retirement. Seeing you kids pass these gates every day is all the retirement I need”. The merry ring in Gramp’s voice was audible

“Gramps…”

“That’s enough child, eat to your fill before the bell goes off”.

“You always feed me Gramps, I don’t deserve your kindness”.

“You are my son!” With a mischievous grin, he added, “If I don’t feed you, who will? A Young Man as healthy as yourself should eat well if he must have stamina for the ladies”, Gramps winked at him.

“Your mind will never stop being dirty eh Gramps?” Gramps robust laugh resounded all over the school grounds – Sebastian didn’t know that was going to be the last time he heard Gramps hearty laugh. As Sebastian was eating, Gramps slipped some new clothes into Sebastian’s bag. He tucked a note into the clothes and smiled happily as he zipped it back.  

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In the evening, after school activities were done, Sebastian was in the parking lot of the school washing cars to make ends meet. Suddenly, he could hear the heated argument of a couple in the distance. It got closer and closer until they were right before him. He focused on washing the cars like they were non-existent, to avoid any encounter with them, the last thing he wanted on the first day of finals was to be reminded that he was poor and couldn’t hold a candle to the rich in his school.

A slap resounded.

The girl slapped the guy! Leonard was the guy that was slapped – He was in finals like Sebastian, in the major of Civil Engineering and Construction. Leonard was the heir to the Consortium Empire, a major conglomerate in Country A and the heir of the richest and most powerful family in Country A.

Sebastian’s eyes widened at the girl’s audacity but then, she was an heiress herself to a major conglomerate, so he could understand why she would be so daring to slap him.

The girl stormed off after slapping Leonard, leaving Leonard still in shock of what was happening. When he came to, he started punching and kicking the car Sebastian was washing, cursing loudly. Sebastian was trying so hard to ignore him but he knew he would be blamed for any dent or damage to the car and he barely had enough to feed in a day! He couldn’t afford to pay compensation for a damaged car, even if he cleaned for 50 years, he still might not raise such money!

Leonard kept kicking and punching the car. He left, found an iron stick and returned to hit the car with it like a crazed dog but Sebastian spoke up at this point.

“Hey dude, please don’t hit the car”

Leonard turned, “You’re not speaking to me, right?”

“No offense bro, I’m trying to wash the car and if anything happens to it, I would be held responsible for it. You wouldn’t want me to call your name, as the person that damaged the car, right?”

A punch landed.

Leonard was furious.

“To think a low life like you would also dare talk down to me! The world must be turning upside down. A mere poor rat who licks the very ground I walk on to make money dares speak to me in such a manner. I blame Anna for this. If you never witnessed her slapping me, you wouldn’t dare approach me even!”

Sebastian touched his cheek where the punch landed and grit his teeth. He swallowed hard trying not to get upset. He was used to this – people ridiculing him because he was poor, punching him even. One time when he was little, he was thoroughly beat up because he asked a rich manager if he could wash his car and back then, he looked like something that emerged from the deep parts of the wastebin. The manager ordered he be beat up for thinking of touching his car with such a dirty appearance!

Sebastian replied, “Look, I’m sorry if I offended you but I really just don’t want you to hit the car anymore”.

Leonard’s eye was red at this point. He took the iron pipe in his hand and broke the windscreen of the car. He went on to break the other windows one by one. After he was done, he began bashing the front of the car with so much force. He was venting the anger of the slap Anna gave him on Sebastian because he could not do anything to the daughter of the conglomerate his father was trying to strike a deal with.

The colour drained from Sebastian’s face at Leonard’s actions, however, he remained calm. He quietly picked up his phone, took a video record of how Leonard was bashing the car, and then proceeded to place a call. Leonard noticed him when he was dialling the number.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling the owner of the car. I am not paying compensation for this” Sebastian replied with a shrug.

“You must think I’m a joke, right? I will use you to set an example”.

Leonard swung the iron rod at Sebastian but Sebastian caught it mid-air, flinging it aside.