The Marked; Absolute peak of Chaos

"Beep! Beep!"

The blaring horn made a young man with pale skin and black hair turn toward its source, his face twisting in irritation.

Kent sat on a rusty bench with his little sister's head resting on his lap. The sudden noise had woken her up, revealing the dark circles beneath her tired eyes.

He shot the departing car a thunderous glare, cursing its owner under his breath as it disappeared into the distance.

The cool morning breeze brushed against his skin, making him fold his arms tightly across his chest in an attempt to keep warm.

Meanwhile, people hurried along the streets on their way to work. Many glanced at the siblings with strange expressions, whispering among themselves before continuing on their way.

Kent had grown used to such looks and he didn't care much

However, before long, a deep voice called out to him from across the road.

"Hey, kid! Come carry these for me!"

Kent's tired face immediately brightened. He sprang to his feet and hurried across the road, leaving his little sister on the rusty bench.

Standing on the other side was a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit, a toothpick hanging from his mouth. He had two suitcases beside him and a backpack strapped to his shoulders.

The moment the man saw Kent approaching, his expression soured. His eyes swept over the boy's haggard appearance, lingering on his half-torn gray clothes and thin frame.It was obvious that Kent had been malnourished for too long.

"Ahem!" The man cleared his throat. "How much will you charge to carry all this to the park?"

As Kent examined the two suitcases, the man removed the backpack from his shoulders and dropped it beside them.

After estimating the weight and distance, he answered respectfully.

"Ten Credits, sir."

The man's expression darkened instantly.

"Are you serious? Ten Credits just to carry these few things? I have only five Credits to offer."

Kent remained unfazed as he had encountered enough people like this in the past and had somehow developed the knack for dealing with their kind.

"Sir, five Credits is too little for all this luggage, especially considering how far the park is. Could you increase the amount a little?"

"I said I can't give you more than five. If you're not interested, walk away and let me find someone else."

Kent's lips twisted in displeasure. He knew how far the park was, and the man's offer barely justified the effort. For a moment, he considered walking away.

"Kent, don't take too long before you come back!"

A soft voice called from across the road.He turned and saw his little sister standing beside the rusty bench. He immediately waved at her with a reassuring smile.

"I won't take long. Make sure you don't go anywhere, okay?"

Mika nodded and waved back.

Kent's gaze lingered on her thin arms for a moment.Ever since their parents' devastating death and the lack of support from their relatives, he had been the only person taking care of her. Every day, he struggled to find enough work to keep them both alive.Looking at Mika, he knew he couldn't afford to return empty-handed.

"If I don't take this deal, Mika might have to go hungry again today."

With that thought, he turned back to the man.

"Alright, sir. I'll carry everything for five Credits."

The man smirked in satisfaction.Without wasting another second, Kent bent down, lifted the luggage, and began the long journey toward the park.

Carrying luggage and searching for odd jobs had become part of his daily routine. At night, he and Mika slept on the streets or, when they were lucky enough to find space, in a government-provided public shelter.

However, the shelter was often infested with bugs, making it almost unbearable to sleep there. Kent would rather find a quiet corner where the darkness could offer them some protection at least that was better than sleeping in a place crawling with insects.

Despite everything they had endured, Kent had never complained about his life. As long as Mika was still by his side, he would continue doing whatever it takes to keep them alive.

"Argh!"

Suddenly, Kent stumbled.

He hadn't been watching where he was going, and the luggage slipped from his hands, crashing onto the ground. Several items spilled out, scattering across the pavement.

"I'm sorry!"

Kent quickly knelt down and began gathering everything.

The man approached looking disgust before suddenly spitting in Kent's face.

"Useless brat! Do you even know how much these things are worth? If you knew, you would have handled them with care!"

The spit slid down Kent's cheek and he silently wiped it away, lowered his head, and continued picking up the luggage. His fingers tightened around a bag's strap, but he swallowed his anger and said nothing.

Once everything had been gathered, he lifted the luggage again and continued walking.

After a long journey, they finally arrived at the park while Kent carefully lowered the suitcases and backpack to the ground. Sweat covered his face, and his arms trembled from exhaustion.

He turned toward the man, waiting for his payment.

However, the man's expression made his heart shrank

"I won't give you five Credits because of that stupid mistake you made along the way."

Kent stared at him in disbelief.

The man had been difficult from the beginning, but Kent hadn't expected him to go this far.

He regretted accepting the deal, yet his desperation to provide food for Mika had left him with no choice.Without another word, the man pulled a single Credit from his pocket and dropped it into Kent's palm.

Kent stared at the one credit in his hand and his fingers slowly closed around it until his knuckles turned white.

He had already accepted the unfair reduction from ten Credits to five. But to reduce the payment to a single Credit after making him carry everything all the way to the park was beyond unreasonable.

"Sir, this isn't enough. We agreed on five Credits."

The man glared at him, his lips curling into a contemptuous sneer.

"If you don't want it, I'll take it back."

He reached out to snatch the Credit from Kent's hand and for a brief moment, Kent imagined breaking the man's fingers. However, he took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

He had spent years enduring humiliation just to survive. He wasn't about to let his temper ruin the little chance he had of getting something for Mika to eat.

"Sir, if you refuse to pay the agreed amount, I'll return your luggage to where I picked it up. You won't have to pay me for the work."

Kent bent down to lift the suitcases, before he could pick them up, a sharp pain exploded across his cheek.

Smack!

Stars flashed before his eyes as the slap sent his head sideways.

"What do you think you're doing, brat? Do you take me for a joke?"

Kent held his burning cheek and slowly raised his head. His gaze hardened as the anger he'd been suppressing began to surface, while the man's expression grew uglier as every seconds pass

Without warning, the man drove his foot into his abdomen.

"Ugh!"

Kent collapsed to the ground, curling up as pain spread through his body.

"What is happening here?"

A deep voice suddenly interrupted them.

A gray-haired policeman with stern eyes approached, his baton swinging at his side.

The man's expression darkened when he noticed the officer, but he quickly composed himself and pointed accusingly at Kent.

"Officer, thank goodness you've arrived! This boy refused to honor our agreement and started insulting me. I had to teach him a lesson. His parents clearly failed to raise him properly!"

Seeing the policeman arrive, Kent forced himself to remain calm. Perhaps, for once, someone would listen to his side of the story.

The officer glanced at him expectantly.

However, before Kent could speak, the man winked at the policeman.

Kent noticed the gesture but said nothing as he slowly pushed himself off the ground, one hand pressed against his aching abdomen.

"Officer, I..."

"Silence! I didn't ask you to speak!"

Kent froze.

He had always believed that law enforcement officers were supposed to uphold justice and protect the innocent. So why was this man ordering him to shut up without even hearing his explanation?

The officer turned toward him, his expression darkened

"I already know who's at fault here. This man gave you work so you could earn a living, and this is how you repay him?"

His expression hardened further and he added;

"Your parents must have done a terrible job raising you. What a disgrace!"

Kent's eyes widened slightly and everything suddenly became clear.

"Wait. I saw that man wink at the officer just now, so that's why he's acting this way".

He clenched his fists as anger countiue to rise within him

"Bunch of hypocrites" he muttered

Kent inhaled deeply, trying to steady himself, but the pain in his abdomen became unbearable. A violent cough escaped his throat, and a mouthful of blood spilled onto the ground.

For a moment, the surrounding people fell silent yet the policeman showed no concern.

Instead, Kent slowly lifted his head, a faint, bitter smile forming on his lips.

"Is this how justice is served?"

He spat the blood from his mouth and stared directly at the officer.

"If this is how justice is served, then the entire law enforcement agency of Veyra City is nothing but a bunch of hypocrites."

The officer's face twisted with fury.

"What the hell did you just say? Did you just call me a hypocrite?"

Kent smiled faintly, his expression almost mocking.

"If you think I'm talking about you, then so be it."

The officer's face turned red with rage.

"You little bastard!"

He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and began approaching Kent, tapping them against his palm.

"Looks like you've finally met someone who's going to teach you a lesson today."

Reaching him, the officer grabbed both his hands and prepared to lock the handcuffs around his wrists.

Kent didn't resist. He simply stared at the officer, with a blank expression

Just as the officer was about to cuff him, a voice suddenly rang out from beside a nearby streetlight pole.

"Please, don't hurt him."