𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 [ʀᴡʙʏ x ᴍᴀʟᴇ ᴏᴄ]

Chapter 28

The cold of the Atlas night pierced through me as I finished my shift. The wind howled between the buildings, carrying with it the smell of dust and machinery. My body ached from hours of hard work-mining, hauling, and doing whatever task I was assigned. I was barely twelve, but the work was already too much for someone my age. The SDC cared about only one thing: productivity.

As I trudged back to my small, cramped bed in the dormitory, I could feel the exhaustion settling into my bones. I just wanted to close my eyes and forget about the day.

But then, out of nowhere, two SDC watchmen stepped into my path, blocking my way. They were older, bigger, and they knew exactly who I was-just another worker, a slave to the system.

They shoved me, hard, making me stumble back. I didn't dare say anything. Words only made things worse.

Guard 1: "What's the matter, kid? You too tired from slaving away to even look where you're going?" One of them sneered, his voice cold. 

I stood silent, my eyes lowered. I'd learned long ago that speaking up only led to more pain.

Guard 2: "What? Not even gonna try to fight back? You really think you're better than us, huh?" The other watchman stepped forward, his grin twisted He grabbed my shirt, yanking me closer.

I swallowed hard. The terror inside me started to rise, but I couldn't let it show.

They shoved me again, pushing me into a nearby wall. The cold of the stone against my back did nothing to cool the heat of my fear.

Guard 3: "You hungry?"

I stared at him, the words barely registering. He wasn't the same as the others-the ones who had been tormenting me. This guard looked... tired. I could see the weariness in his eyes, but there was no malice.

Klaus: "What do you mean?"

The guard gave a casual shrug, like he had asked a simple question. Maybe he didn't know who I was, or maybe he didn't care. Either way, his tone was soft, and it caught me off guard.

Guard 3: "Food. You want it or not?"

The words felt too normal, too simple, in contrast to everything that had happened. But I could feel the hunger gnawing at me, and I realized it might be the only thing grounding me right now.

I nodded slowly.

Klaus: "Yeah.

The moment I nodded, I regretted it. The guards' smiles twisted, their eyes gleaming with something dark and malicious. It wasn't kindness they were offering me. No, it was something far worse.

Before I could react, one of them grabbed me by the collar and shoved a handful of dust crystals into my mouth. They were rough and sharp, the jagged edges scraping against my teeth as I struggled to breathe. I tried to spit them out, but they forced my mouth open, and the crystals just kept coming, filling my mouth until I couldn't hold them back anymore.

Guard 1: "Eat up."

The days blended together, one indistinguishable from the next. I wasn't sure how long it had been-maybe days, maybe weeks. Time felt warped as the burning, gnawing pain from the dust crystals continued to consume me. The guards took turns, shoving more and more of the crystals into my mouth. They were relentless, forcing me to swallow the dangerous shards of energy, all the while laughing as they watched me writhe in agony.

Guard 1: "You're nothing but a freak, Faunus. You think you're human? Think again."

They didn't care. They didn't care about the pain, about the transformation, or about the entity forming inside my mind. I wasn't a person to them. I was a tool, a weapon. A means to an end. All because I was a Faunus.