5 men were gathered around the low light of a lamp in the underground cellar . .
"You think he'll pull through?".
"Kid didn't look too bright to me . Whatever, he fails, we kill 'im . The end . ".
"At any rate, tonight's the big night . It's almost time . Where'd Zack go?".
"In 'is room . Stomach pains, he says . ".
"The h.e.l.l? b.a.s.t.a.r.d's been acting strange lately . You don't think, he's leaking intel to those Royalists—".
"Oi, it's time . ".
Signalled one of them as the door to the cellar opened . .
.
In the dark, decrepit room, a single figure approached the five . .
The figure's ident.i.ty was slowly revealed as he approached the light . .
.
"You're alone . Where's the girl?".
"Tsk . Didn't pull through after all . ".
The men were badly disappointed . .
.
The black haired boy standing before these intimidating prisoners looked the definition of ordinary . .
His dark eyes were looking down, staring at the shadows extending across the floor . .
.
"Hey, you better not say you got cold feet . ".
One of the men pulled out a knife . .
"Hey! Talk! Where's the princess!?".
He threatened, holding the knife at the boy's throat . .
.
The boy began trembling like the weakling he was— or so the men had imagined . .
The boy didn't do that . He didn't shake, he didn't even move . He simply kept staring at the shadows below . .
.
"The princess, Clara…".
He muttered softly . .
His voice wasn't loud but everyone could hear it clearly . .
"Isn't coming…".
His eyes were yet glued to the floor . .
However, his lips held a tiny grin now . .
.
"The f.u.c.k are you talkin' about, huh!? Ya got cold feet and came here alone, that it!?".
The boy was silent . .
"What now? We kill 'im?".
"Gotta at least show him not to mess with us . ".
"Yeah . We beat him up and try again . ".
.
The men all stood up and surrounded the boy . .
"Messin' with us, eh dips.h.i.t?".
The man who had the knife at the boy's neck grabbed a fistful of his hair with his other hand and pulled his face up . .
What the man saw there was the boy's eyes, pitch dark eyes lacking in emotion . .
"I don't like that look . ".
.
Looking annoyed, the man grazed his knife along the boy's neck . .
A line of blood escaped the shallow cut . .
"I said, I don't like that look . ".
But the boy didn't comply . He just kept staring blankly . .
No, not quite . The small smile on the boy's lips had grown into a visible grin . .
.
"What're you laughin' at!!".
The man smacked the boy's face with the b.u.t.t of his knife . .
But the boy's smile didn't falter, not in the least . .
"You don't seem to realize you're in deep s.h.i.t, brat . ".
.
Another smack . .
Stronger this time . Enough to break the cheekbone, maybe even knock loose a tooth . .
Still no reaction from the boy . .
The boy simply kept on looking at the man with a grin across his face . .
.
"—!".
"Oi, you goin' easy on 'im or what?".
From the side, one of the man's comrades came up and punched the boy in the face . .
"That's how ya punch a face . Leave 'em half dead and they'll never— Huh!?".
That punch was meant to knock the boy out cold . .
But the boy just stood there as if he felt nothing . The spot where he'd been battered had remained spotless . .
.
Those emotionless eyes still peered at the 5 men . .
It was freaking them out . .
.
"— Is that it?" Finally said the boy . .
"—!! You'll regret that!!".
Furious, the man began pummeling the boy with ferocious fists . .
He punched like no tomorrow, until his breathing became rough . .
.
"See, this is what happens when you— HUH?".
"— Are you done?" Said the boy, ever smiling . .
His face revealed not one bruise . .
.
"This kid's f.u.c.king strange . ".
"Tsk . Gimme the knife . ".
The man from the side took the knife and stabbed the boy in the ribs . .
.
— But,.
"What, how—!?".
The knife, penetrating only the boy's clothes, stopped there . Even putting more strength into his arm, the man couldn't cut the boy's skin . .
.
"O-oi, what're ya playin' around for?".
"Stab him, do it!".
"Sh-shaddap! Knife ain't going in!!".
The man tried stabbing again and again . .
The knife never penetrated even skin deep . .
.
His breathing had gone arid as the man stepped away . His eyes couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed . .
"W-what, the h.e.l.l are y—".
"— So you're done?".
That's when the boy swung his fist . .
Yet, no one saw it move . Such was its speed . .
.
What they saw was the result only . .
The boy's fist had punched through the man's chest and come out the other side . .
.
"Ah… ahyauu…".
The man dropped to the ground, creating a large pool of blood . .
.
"Wha!?".
"N-no, f.u.c.kin…".
"D-did this guy just punch a hole through…".
"Hyai…!".
.
Splich, splich . .
.
The boy walked on the the b.l.o.o.d.y floor . .
"— Done?".
He taunted the men, still grinning . .
.
The remaining mens' faces stiffened . .
"G.o.dd.a.m.n… w-we'll take 'im down with all of us!!".
"D-don't mess with me!!".
"D-Die, f.u.c.ker, dieeee!!!".
"H-hyi-hyeeeeeeee!!".
.
Four shadows converged on the boy . The flame in the lamp flickered . .
— Dancing shadows . .
Once the flame regained its calm, on the floor of the cellar lay 5 corpses with holes for a chest . .
.
"— looks like we're done . ".
No one answered now . .
Splich, splich . The boy stepped over the blood as he walked away . .