Chapter 1: Suffering
THUMP!
THUMP!
THUMP!
The sound of fists slamming into flesh echoed hauntingly through the abandoned building. The shattered windows let in pale, ghostly light, casting jagged shadows on the walls. Dust floated through the air like the ashes of something long dead.
Three boys in school uniforms stood in a circle, laughing cruelly. Their target lay crumpled on the ground—a broken figure, barely breathing.
Ronan Raylinde.
His white uniform was drenched in blood and dirt, the proud emblem of Lincolnville High stained into obscurity. His lip was torn, one eye swollen shut, and blood pooled beneath him from a nasty gash at his temple. His ribs ached with every breath, each inhale like a stab into his chest.
He twitched. Tried to move.
Nothing responded.
His body didn't belong to him anymore—it had become a sack of pain.
He couldn't even cry.