Chapter 40: Chapter 38 - Flashback
It's been a week since the incident, and things have been going well for the group. A little too well. They didn't have a problem finding food, it was almost as if the animals were drawn to them. In addition, the few people they met were nice, even those who looked like they were preparing to rob travelers. During this period, David noticed that Apate seemed more and more distant. He kept muttering to himself, and he was more prone to anger. It wasn't very obvious, but David was with Apate for about two months now, so he could notice things like that.
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"Listen man, is there anything going on?" David asked Apate once they stopped for the night. "I'm fine, don't worry about it," Apate responded shortly. "Don't bullshit me, I can tell that's a lie," David pushed further. "I said I'm fine!" Apate raised his voice. "Listen, I don't know what made you behave like this, but I can probably help you, just speak to me" David insisted. "David, I get it, you have a good heart, but please just leave it. Honestly, you're just wasting your time here," Apate said after a deep breath.
"How can you say that when I don't even know what happened? Maybe you're wrong? Come on, what's the worse that can happen if you tell me?" David questioned. "Do you have the slightest idea of how much I heard that damn sentence? Do you?! What makes you different from all the other fucks who said it?" Apate responded angrily.
"Well, how can I answer that if I don't know who said it before me? Maybe I am different from them." David shot back. "I'm not going to play games with you. Long story short, you're the same as them. I've been with you for months now, I can tell. Also, there's a Scorpion there. You should make sure it doesn't sting Atalanta." Apate pointed at a spot near the napping Atalanta. "Shit!" David exclaimed as he ran. Seeing David sprint away, Apate began to think about his past.
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*Flashback*
"How can this happen?! This useless piece of shit!" Apate's dad yelled as he slapped a five-year-old Apate across the room on his fifth birthday. "D-Dad?" Apate asked with teary eyes. His father has changed in the last year. When he turned four, his dad looked like the happiest man in the world, but as the months went by, his mood continued to sour.
"Shut the fuck up! Shit, I promised him my offspring but I can't give him you, now can I? You useless piece of-" Apate's dad screamed. "Indeed you can't," A man with white hair walked into the room dressed in a black suit. "B-boss!" Apate's father froze in fear. "I wondered why you didn't send your child to me, so I came to check the situation. What a disappointment, Arnold. I expected a lot from you, it's a shame." The man said as he walked forward to get a good look at Apate.
"I-I'll make another one! I'll throw this failure away, just please give me another chance! You have the time, don't you?!" Arnold, AKA Apate's father, begged on his knees in front of the man. "Such a pathetic man, throwing away your own son for power without a hint of hesitation." The man ridiculed Arnold, who winced at the accusation.
"Still, I find you amusing, so I'll give you another chance. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧," The man teleported away as he left those parting words. After that, Apate was kicked out immediately while he was crying and screaming.
"Jin! Jin, let me go, please!" Apate yelled as he was scared to his core. Although he was young, due to his father's position, he knew full well what happened to people like him. Jin, his loyal guard, now looked at him as if he was nothing but trash as he threw him onto the muddy floor. "At least give me some food for the night, Please!" Apate begged. Unfortunately, jin didn't reply as he walked back.
That night, Apate was curled into a small, scared, ball. He barely managed to sleep, and he stood out like a sore thumb in the wealthy area he and his father lived in. "Such filth! What're the guards doing? If they won't take care of this themselves I have no problem killing him myself," a random man commented as he spit on Apate.
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Days passed and Apate was bearly alive. He managed to get water and food by going to the poor districts and stealing from poorly built and secure houses. By going to the rough districts he may have saved himself from starvation, but he made himself exposed to the harsh and unforgiving hierarchy there.
Unlike the hierarchy in the rich areas, where those that are low on the ladder are made into a laughingstock in the worst-case scenario, in the poor districts violence was king. A week barely passed since Apate made his way there and he was already lying on the side of a dirty ally with countless bruises and cuts on his body.
"Oh, if it isn't Apate. You're not looking so good there, buddy." A voice came from his side, which caused him to flinch. "What's wrong? You're not happy to see me?" A kid, about ten years old with black hair and eyes and dressed with the common rags that the people there wore, asked Apate.
"N-no, Mike," Apate replied. "So you're not happy?" Mike asked with a smile before nailing Apate's gut with a kick, making the latter cough blood while clutching onto his stomach. "B-but you asked if I wasn't happy so when I said no I meant that-" Apate tried to explain before another kick was sent at him, making him collapse. "Don't argue with me, brat," Mike said before walking away laughing.
Apate stayed on the ground, drifting in and out of consciousness due to his wounds. He lost enough blood as it was, so the extra injuries didn't help his case. Finally, Apate saw a figure approaching him. The figure was extremely slim, had a hunched back, and little to no hair. It was covered in scars, from its toes to its head, nothing was left untouched. Apate smiled slightly seeing the figure, and he finally allowed himself to sleep.
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"Here, I brought you this," said an older man, about fifty years old, as he handed Apate some bread and water. This man was Alon, he was the one who taught Apate to survive in the poor districts. "Thanks," Apate muttered as he started eating. "Mike again, huh? This is getting out of hand, Apate. You need to fight back!" Alon stated. "How?" Apate spat out in frustration.
"What do you mean "How?" Bash his fucking head in! He's an orphan like you, and he doesn't have a lot of friends. No one will take revenge for him if you kill him." Alon said. "But he'll kick my ass, I'm weak..." Apate retorted.
"So what? Grab a brick and bash it into his fucking head! You don't need to be strong to do that. Plus, his quirk's trash anyway. Even a Quirkless like you can probably take him out. I mean, how will bubble-blowing help you in a fight? You can take some soap in your eyes, right?" Alon insisted.
"Still..." Apate said reluctantly. "Whatever kid, I can't force you, but just know that things will only get worse. There are plenty of people looking to take out their frustrations on young, weak, kids around here, so you better establish your place where you want it before it's too late. Take it as words from someone experienced in that area," Alon said with a slightly sad look.
"Can't I just run away?" Apate asked. "Heh, where can you go? Good luck surviving alone in the desert with no water or food, it's a death sentence. You're a hostage of this damn city like the rest of us. Believe me, if running away was a possibility, everyone would've done it." Alone responded. "Are you sure that this is the only way?" Apate asked nervously.
"Technically, no. You can always give up and accept your place. Honestly, it's a valid answer. Not everyone has the strength to fight, at least, I didn't. But do you honestly want to end up like me? A pathetic fifty-year-old that can't do anything except help newcomers survive?" Alon asked Apate. "...Fine, what do I need to do?" Apate asked.
"Mike usually goes around the district to look for easy houses to rob at night. Just follow him and wait for him to get to a relatively isolated area. Then, ambush him and smash the fucker's head into the nearest building."
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Hey guys. I feel like the pace of the chapter was a bit too quick to my taste, but I couldn't put my finger on what to change in order to solve that problem. If managed to identify what I need to change then please comment it and I'll try to fix it (this also goes for any problem you notice during the chapter since I'm in a very stressful time IRL so there may be some slipups during the chapter). Also, I finished my other fanfic so I can fully focus on this one now. Though like I said this is a very stressful time for me, being my finals in my senior year in high school and all. this week especially is going to be hell, wish me luck.
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