“Looks like that cockroach is still kicking around!”
Aether’s body flinched at the sound of the voice, and he turned around to see a newcomer entering his so-called room.
The teenager had jet-black hair, accompanied by deep, dark eyes, and his somewhat handsome face was adorned with a wrinkleless but evidently expensive butler dress, appearing almost tailored for him.
Surveying a wooden plate in the boy’s hands, Aether furrowed his brow and inquired, “Are you delivering the food?”
With a hint of arrogance, the boy responded, “Oh, looks like he really forgets everything… Guys?” His words were met with the appearance of other teenagers, similarly dressed but a little dull as butlers, and just like their dress, they displayed a bit less arrogance than their apparent leader.
“Hehe…”
“Of course, Boss. It’s even a miracle for that ‘Thing’ to be alive after getting hit by your powerful punch, boss.”
“Yes… Look at him, shocked from seeing us.”
“Maybe if we hit him again, he might remember everything…ahahaha.”
“Hahahah…”
These teenagers mockly chatted without care, displaying a lack of empathy or respect.
‘Bullies…ah?’ Aether muttered inwardly, standing up with blank eyes. Despite his delinquent persona in the past, he had never engaged in bullying unless absolutely necessary.
‘And Hearing their speech, I could tell they were the reason I was drowning in the lake…’ Aether thought, piecing together fragments of his memories, before confronting the black-haired boy, who seemed to be the leader of this group.
Seeing Aether approach, the black-haired boy, furrowed his brows, “Looks like we really need to teach him what we are…” he declared, snapping his fingers with a hint of annoyance.
His lackeys, grinning maliciously, promptly caught Aether’s arms and wrapped their hands around his neck, attempting to showcase as if they were the best of friends until the death, as they dragged him out of the house and toward a secluded yard where no one would witness their actions.
‘Thud’
A dull ‘thud’ echoed as they roughly deposited Aether onto the ground, their laughter taking on an increasingly sinister tone.
“pfftt-hhahaha”
“Here I thought he was going to struggle a little!!”
“Hahaha…”
“See, I told you, even if someone forgets everything, their inner instincts are always there, and they will never forget!!”
“Yes, it seems his true instincts realized our boss’s presence.”
In stark contrast to the cruelty unfolding, Aether seemed unfazed by the situation. He calmly rose from the ground, patting his butt with an air of nonchalance. The bullies, perplexed by his lack of distress, exchanged uneasy glances…. ‘He is truly different than before…’ They thought in unison.
Seeing his nonchalant act, the boss’s frown deepened as he asked, “Do you know who I am?”
Aether looked at the boy and said, “Yes” with an indifferent voice.
Hearing that, the boss couldn’t help but smile, his arrogance fueled by the apparent acknowledgement of his superiority.
His lackeys also laughed, eager to witness their boss asserting dominance.
“I knew it!”
“Our boss brought back the idiot’s memories without doing anything!”
However, the next words from Aether made them shut their mouths, the chilling words cutting through the air,
“An inferior boy, who had a huge amount of fear inside and… Those Lackey creatures that are worse than filthy dogs that only know how to wag their tails for anyone,” Aether said with a blank expression.
He had encountered individuals of this sort before… those who projected arrogance and inflicted harm on the weak to compensate for their own insecurities….. He was once just like him.
To Aether, their actions were transparent, mere shields attempting to mask the hollowness within. It was a common theme he had observed in people who harboured deep-seated anxiety, fear, and an overarching sense of inferiority….. just like once, he harboured those things.
As for lackeys… His Pervious world filled the people like them the most.
Before the Lakeys could unleash their furious retorts, an abrupt noise disrupted the atmosphere…
“Trrrkkkk”
“Ouch!”
Aether instinctively clutched his head, feeling the impact before he even registered what had happened.
The boss of the goons had swiftly thrown the plate he was holding directly at Aether’s head…. Very fast.
‘Drip, Drip’ The blood started to drip from his forehead as if fall on the yard.
‘Thud’
The empty plate clattered to the ground, and two dried breads scattered around like casualties of a skirmish.
Jam, or rather an egg-like substance that emitted an unpleasant odour, clung to Aether’s now-dull white hair.
“Tsk, That’s not a hollow shell should talk…. Seems like memory loss really changed him and let him think for himself” the boss muttered, disdain evident in his voice. He then turned to his lackeys, issuing a sinister command, “Beat the shit out of him and make sure at least his body remembers who we are.”
Without hesitation, one of the goons lunged towards Aether, fueled by a cruel intent to inflict pain.
“Take that, Bastard!!” The goon shouted as he swung a powerful punch at Aether’s face.
However, in a surprising turn of events for everybody…
‘Shoo’
“Thud”
‘Crack, Crack’
Aether, seemingly snapped out of his daze, swiftly tilted his body to avoid the incoming attack. With remarkable speed, he countered by delivering a fierce punch to the Lackey’s face.
‘Fuck this body!!’ Aether cursed his weakened physique as he felt his own bones crack under the strain of the movement.
Despite the pain, his punch made a significant impact, causing the Lackey to stumble backwards, clutching his nose in agony, tears streaming down his face.
The boss, his initial confidence fading, furrowed his brow as he carefully observed Aether’s unexpected display of strength. Sensing the shifting dynamics, he signalled the other three Lackeys.
“How dare you!!”
“Break his legs!!”
“I am gonna break the bastard’s nose!!”
The trio, angered by their friend’s situation, lunged towards Aether with a mix of determination and malice.
Facing the impending confrontation, Aether adjusted his stance, adopting a boxing posture. His stern eyes locked onto the incoming idiots…
‘I guess, fighting is unavoidable now…,’ he thought as he positioned his hands boxing-style and…
‘Thud’
‘Thud’
‘Tckk’
‘Crack, Crack’
‘Thud’
“Fuck!!”