~~~START OF CHAPTER
Japan, Osaka, Rowel St, Vintage Court Apartments….
As dawn approached, this area of town always grew quiet. After all, it was the most poverty-stricken area in all of Japan. Robbery and break-ins were common; people lurked in the alleys or on the streets, always looking for a way to make a quick buck, so you always had to watch your back.
Of all places, Vintage Court Apartments looked the most desolate—a five-story building that had no owners. Most of the people living there were squatters or drug dealers with nowhere else to go.
It was one of the most troubled and isolated places in the city, with the closest police station a couple of miles away and heroes who rarely glanced at it. It was a place where low-level crooks and criminals could get work done and no one would care.
Because of this, a hierarchy of gangs existed, ensuring no one overstepped their boundaries without knowing the consequences. And the consequences were steep; at best, it could become a gang war.
Respect was paramount in that area; if you didn't have respect or the ability to make people fear you, it was easier to get rid of you and your loved ones.
On the highest floor of the apartment building sat a pure black and brown door with a slight dent in the middle. Behind this door resided Anthony Bond, the most influential gang boss of the area, a man who had solidified his position.
Perched on the edge of the soiled mattress, the quite attractive American man with deluded eyes jumped up, cigarette in hand.
His white T-shirt and grey jogging pants, both already dirty, were on, but the state of them had no effect on the man, who now stood before another, even more disgusting mattress.
"Get your ass up, freaky little shit. You don't earn nothing from being lazy," the man said while kicking a scrawny, completely ethereal black little boy with completely white pupils and irises that showed no clue to his ethnicity.
Scrambling to his feet, the boy's murky, reverberating voice rasped, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lie down for that long."
Muttering to himself, and barely acknowledging the child, he walked away. The kid, taking this as a sign to follow, grabbed a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt off the floor before running after him.
As they walked outside the apartments, the man asked, "Do you know what's the most important thing in this city?"
The boy hesitated for a second before replying, "Isn't it respect? The people I see around with the most respect never get hurt."
Anthony paused, staring at him for a moment before chuckling and saying, "You're correct. While these people may value respect and freedom, for me, Tobias, it is power that reigns above both of them—the ability to exert force on others."
"Is there no way to accomplish anything without it?" the boy, now named, eventually said.
"If you had the power, wouldn't you accomplish it faster and in a better way?" Anthony said.
"So from now on, I'm going to teach you what I know so when I'm gone, you can take off where I left off," Anthony said after a long moment of silence.
Having arrived at the dead end, Anthony suddenly bends down and puts his hands into the shadows.
An event that stuck with Tobias for a long time afterward occurred.
The shadows suddenly stirred, shifting and struggling. Without warning, the air turned cold. After what seemed like hours of struggle, they stilled and eventually coalesced into a staircase.
Anthony turned to stare at Tobias and then said, "I'm gonna beat the shit out of you 'til you're better than me."
~~~END OF CHAPTER