Chapter 52: Titus’s Past
“I was just an ordinary street urchin in Lavoisier City. My mother was a dancer at a tavern. My father disappeared after I was born. You know, Lavoisier City wasn’t exactly a wholesome place. My mother worked long hours, leaving me to roam the streets with other kids, learning life’s lessons from the wrong crowd.”
Titus set down his glass, his face calm, the alcohol and the potion’s effects dulling his emotions.
Givia listened intently. As a princess, even in exile, she had always lived a privileged life, leading the Restoration Army. Titus’s journey, from a street urchin to a gang leader, was a fascinating tale.
“My mother rarely disciplined me. As long as I stayed away from dangerous activities, she wouldn’t scold me. Her income as a dancer was meager. She only brought home extra money when she caught the eye of a wealthy patron.”
“Thanks to her, I never went hungry, and I grew into a strong young man. It was only natural for me to join a gang—the Goat Eyes Gang. I became an insignificant grunt. Eugene was already the leader back then.”
“My job was simple: protect their potion factories from rival gangs, participate in brawls when called upon, and act as muscle for the higher-ups. I received a weekly wage, enough to buy food, drinks, and enjoy myself with my friends. My mother no longer had to support me with her meager earnings.”
“I thought it was the perfect life. I had no savings, but I was comfortable. I had my friends, and I was on good terms with a few tavern maids. I could drink and eat whenever I wanted, and if I ran out of money, my friends would cover me. It was a carefree life, a beautiful life!”
Titus paused, taking a long gulp of his drink, then burped discreetly, shaking his head slightly.
“But my peaceful life, my carefree existence, was shattered. One day, while I was enjoying a feast with my friends, a neighbor’s kid found me, urging me to return home. I was annoyed by the interruption, but I thought my mother might need me, so I followed him.”
“He was hesitant to tell me what happened. When I reached home, I found my mother lying in bed, her head wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, on the verge of death.”
“I learned from the neighbors that Eugene had seen my mother dancing at the tavern and was smitten by her beauty. He asked her to spend the night with him. My mother, accustomed to such arrangements, and aware that Eugene was my boss, didn’t refuse. But just as she had entered his house, removed her clothes, and sat on the bed, someone rushed in, reporting that Eugene’s dog had been killed in a fight with another dog.”
“Eugene wasn’t fond of animals, but that dog was a rare breed he had purchased from the Western Empire for a hefty sum. The miser, enraged by the news, lashed out at my mother, striking her head with his cane—that solid alloy cane—and ordering her to leave.”
“My mother, her head bleeding, stumbled home, clutching her wound. She managed to walk for a while, then collapsed. Fortunately, a former patron recognized her and brought her home…”
Titus’s voice choked with emotion, but he quickly composed himself, remembering his audience. He took another gulp of his drink.
“My mother died that night. She couldn’t speak anymore. She just looked at me with her bloodshot eyes and breathed her last. I called out to her, but she couldn’t respond.”
“Later, while arranging her funeral, I found a small cloth bag containing a few hundred imperial coins, a mix of crisp, high-denomination bills and worn, low-denomination coins. A note inside the bag read: ‘For Titus’s wedding.’ My mother had been saving money for me, even with her meager income, while I was busy enjoying myself, never saving a penny.”
“I was enraged. I swore to kill Eugene, that bastard. The day I buried my mother, I left the Goat Eyes Gang and joined the Black Hats. My former friends, those I had shared drinks and laughter with, betrayed me, leading the Goat Eyes to my house and burning it down. But I had already moved everything of value, including my mother’s savings.”
“Within days, I had lost my only family, my supposed friends, and even the woman I loved, forced to break off our relationship to protect her. I had lost everything.”
“But I didn’t give up. Driven by hatred, I climbed the ranks within the Black Hats. I observed the leaders, learned their tactics, built connections, and devised schemes to make money. I craved power, strength, to reach Eugene’s level, to kill him with my own hands.”
“I believed that my weakness, my inability to protect those I loved, was the root of my suffering, the reason Eugene, that scum, had robbed me of my happiness.”
Titus recounted his journey within the Black Hats, the brawls, the assassinations, the bribes, the threats… He described his actions, his struggles, his triumphs, his voice calm, as if a bard recounting a tale of adventure. But everyone knew that climbing the ranks of a criminal organization was a dangerous and brutal affair.
“I eventually became a high-ranking member, a leader in my own right. But the Black Hats’ leader was a cunning and ruthless man. Replacing him seemed impossible.”
“I tried everything, testing the waters, exploring every avenue, but I couldn’t find a way to usurp his position. Without the ultimate authority, I couldn’t amass enough power to challenge Eugene and the Goat Eyes Gang.”
“I was desperate, almost ready to risk everything. But then, I met the man who changed my life.”
“That night, he sat beside me, sharing a drink, his voice deep and commanding, telling me that the root of my suffering wasn’t my lack of strength, but my choice of enemy.”
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