Chapter 1: Death (EDITED)

Chapter 1: Death (EDITED)

In the abandoned, dark alley, Asher was shivering from the cold and bleeding from his throat. He struggled to breathe because the blood flowed into his lungs.

The helpless state discomforted him; he was suffering—the struggle of being desperate, the sorrow of feeling alone, and the unbearable thought of dying.

He was afraid, feeling lost and alone.

He couldn't tolerate the darkness enveloping him, and the stillness was terrible.

....

It was a day like any other in Asher's life. He left work after a hectic day. He had to provide for himself, but he didn't even make ends meet, so he could only afford to rent a house in the undeveloped part of the city.

As he walked towards his house after getting off the bus, he looked up at the dark sky without the moon and the streets around him. He felt his life was similar, dark, and dreary.

"Haah...what am I even doing? I work, and I work hard, but I still have to listen to the seniors berating me before coming home tired and just sleep. Why am I even trying so hard? To live this life in solitude?" Asher sighed.

Asher never had a family. People at orphanages just provide necessary food and shelter until you either get adopted or leave after you reach the age of 16. He didn't have any time to make friends, let alone have a lover, as all he could do was survive and provide for himself first.

On the street, cold waves of wind were blowing, giving shivers to the spine as Asher wore light clothes.

At that moment, the surroundings were desolate, with very few people around, while street lights were flickering on and off. It saddened him even more, making the situation unbearable.

Asher took his turn, going into the alley. As he stepped a little deeper into the place, he didn't realize when four people surrounded him. They all looked like regular street thugs with big muscles and tattoos on their bodies. The thing that was common among them was the heavy smell of alcohol.

"...what?" Asher exclaimed in shock.

"Haha, big brother, how long has it been? At last, we found someone; now we can go for another round of drinks." One of the big guys laughed.

"Haah, I was getting tired of waiting." Another one sighed.

But then, an alcohol bottle was smacked hard on Asher's head. "Fuck! This beggar is wasting my drink; I feel sober all over."

"Ah, this shit is ruining an already bad night; brothers, let's beat him hard."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

They all started venting their irritation at Asher. He kept begging for mercy; was it necessary to beat him just to vent their frustration? But they didn't care about anything; his screams didn't stop them from hitting him.

Soon, Asher stopped screaming, as he couldn't make a sound anymore. He felt a warm liquid around his throat, and something stuck in it.

"Brothers, stop! Stop! Look at him!" The guy who hit the bottle shouted at others.

"What?" The second brother shouted, irritated.

"This?" Another one exclaimed.

"How did it happen?" The big brother questioned.

"Why are you all making a fuss?... Huh?" The second brother was questioning, but he exclaimed.

They all saw a broken bottle stuck deep inside Asher's throat; blood kept flowing as he choked on his own blood.

All the big guys stared at him in shock for a few seconds before running away without caring about the life and death of Asher.

Asher felt pain all over his body—the pain he was used to feeling during his school life from bullies. This time, however, was different.

Soon, his vision blurred due to the lack of blood flowing to the brain.

'Is this the end of all my struggles? Will I finally succumb to an eternal slumber in the embrace of darkness?' Asher thought to himself.

At that moment, a dark glow appeared, like a shadow from his necklace, that engulfed his whole body before disappearing along with it.