Scorpion's Shadow

The Silence Between Words

The ticking of the hospital clock echoed in the room like a faint countdown to nowhere.

Daniel sat motionless, his knuckles pale, his fingers interlocked, his eyes fixed on the glass wall separating him from the room where Siraj lay unconscious, pale and still under a pile of wires.

Tim sat beside him, his eyes heavy with sleepless nights. His school jacket lay crumpled on his lap, a light stain of dried blood still visible near the hem.

"You should know how this all really started," he said finally, his voice hoarse.

Daniel didn't look at him. But the silence between them broke, letting Tim speak.

"That was about a month ago. The gang—we all knew them. They started flooding the school with pills. Speed, ecstasy... even harder drugs. They targeted young kids, scared people. At first, Siraj tried to get away with it. And he did."

Tim paused, his jaw clenched, as if remembering something still burning behind his eyelids.

"But one day... they cornered a new student. A very quiet guy. They threatened to rip his face open because he refused to sell to them. Siraj saw it happen."

Finally, he turned to Daniel.

"He didn't even think. He just charged."

—Flashback: The Battle Begins—

Chaos erupted in the hallway. Screaming. Lockers slamming. Students scattering like birds before a storm.

Siraj pushed through the crowd, his eyes burning. His schoolbag hit the floor with a thud.

"Let him go," he growled, fists clenched at his sides.

Three gang members stood around the new student. One of them, Rico, tattooed and overconfident, smiled as he turned around.

"And what are you going to do, handsome?"

Siraj didn't answer. He moved.

A swift kick to Rico's chest sent him crashing into the lockers, the metal punctured by the impact. Gasps erupted. Two more rushed in.

Siraj dodged the first punch, swatting the attacker's legs out from under him. The boy hit the floor with a sickening c***k.

The third pulled a chain from his pocket and swung it.

Siraj thought, "Just a bunch of idiots!"

Whip—c***k.

Blood swelled on Siraj's cheek—but he didn't flinch. He grabbed the chain in the air, pulled the attacker forward, and rammed his knee into his stomach.

"You don't sell poison here," he spat, his voice low and menacing.

More footsteps.

Five more gang members streamed into the hallway. And Siraj—

Standed still. Alone.

Tim's voice cracked in the present.

He fought them all. We tried to jump, but he wouldn't let us. "Get the kids out," he said. "This is my fight."

—The hall became a war zone—

Hands flew like missiles.

Siraj spun between attacks like a ghost, precise and brutal.

One boy fell—a roundhouse kick to the temple.

Another collapsed—his jaw shattered by an upward punch.

A gang member pulled out a blade.

Siraj grabbed a chair.

Metal met metal. Sparks flew.

The knife fell.

Siraj slammed his elbow into the boy's throat and threw him out of the classroom door.

Students screamed. Teachers locked themselves inside. Security guards froze—too scared.

The corridor was no longer a school.

It had become a battlefield.

Blood stained the walls. Broken desks and shattered phones littered the floor. The air was filled with moans.

In the end, only Siraj remained standing.

Handling his breath.

Bleeding.

He wasn't broken.

The gang walked away, leaving their humiliated, unconscious bodies behind them.

And what about Siraj?

He wiped the blood from his nose, picked up his bag, and left.

In the present, Tim leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, his voice low.

"I think that was the moment they decided to kill him. He humiliated them in front of the entire school. Everyone started calling him a legend... and that made him a target."

Daniel's jaw was tight, but his eyes were shining with something dark—anger, guilt, fear, all converging into one storm.

"He never told me," Daniel whispered.

Tim nodded slowly.

Because he didn't want you to worry. He said you saved him once... he wanted to handle this problem himself.

And even that school, why didn't I know about it?

He sighed as he looked at Siraj.

Two weeks ago

It started with something small.

Siraj came home late that night. The hallway lights were dim, echoing the usual stillness of the palace. Daniel was in his study, the clock striking just after midnight.

Siraj's shoes were muddy. His jacket was torn. His eyes were puffy from a fight he didn't start—but didn't withdraw from.

He hadn't expected Daniel to be awake. He'd hoped he was asleep and wouldn't question him.

But he was.

The door creaked open, and Daniel stood there—in a crisp black shirt, his tie undone, and shadows under his eyes like bruises from sleepless nights. He lifted his head, papers still in his hand.

"Where have you been?"

Siraj exhaled, unprepared for this.

"Outside."

Daniel narrowed his eyes. That word lit a match.

"Outside where?"

"Why do you care?" Siraj muttered as he passed by.

"Excuse me?"

Siraj turned.

"You only ask me when I'm in trouble. Never when I'm okay."

Daniel's voice dropped.

"You think I don't care about you?"

"I think you care about your name," Siraj said sharply. "Your heritage. How I make you look. Me? No, not really." (Note that Siraj and Daniel have the same last name because Daniel was a distant cousin of Siraj's biological father. Daniel was his biological father's childhood friend.)

Then there was a misunderstanding.

Daniel spent all day trying to track down intelligence on a rival gang. There was an imminent threat, and Siraj didn't know it. Daniel spent that same day canceling meetings to talk to the school board about Siraj's safety. But Siraj didn't know it either.

Because Daniel never said so.

And when Daniel took a deep breath and replied—

"Maybe if I acted like someone worth defending, I'd have something to fight for."

It all came out wrong.

Siraj's eyes went still.

Everything inside him shut down—as if someone had hit him in the chest with a shovel.

"I see," he said coldly, nodding once. "Thanks for pointing that out."

"Siraj—"

But the boy had already turned around. Already shut down. He climbed the stairs without a sound.

The days that followed were icy.

Siraj didn't speak to him.

He walked past him at breakfast without even a glance.

He didn't make dinner. He didn't make training. He closed his door.

And Daniel...

Daniel didn't knock.

Because he was probably too scared.

Or maybe... too exhausted.

Daniel's monologue (during the silence)

I didn't mean to.

he must think I hate him. But I was angry. Tired. I was scared for him, and the fear came out like poison.

I should have said I loved him. I should have said I was proud of him, even when he made mistakes. To see how he fought for people. To see the good he hid behind his sharp mouth and cold eyes.

But I didn't. And now he's gone... even though he's here in this house.

Siraj's Monologue (During the Silence)

He meant it. Finally, he said what he really thought about me.

"Someone worth defending." He thinks I'm not. That I'm just a psychotic kid he's stuck with.

Fine. Then I'll stop trying to make him proud. I'll be the kid everyone thinks I am. Angry. Cold. Lonely.

At least this way, no one gets hurt.

The days passed quietly.

Two hearts in one house.

Two people in pain.

But no one took the first step.

And silence remained.

Until the day of the accident.

Two hours later, night had fallen. Daniel drove Seraj's friends home. Then, he went to the palace to pack his things and prepare a room for him to stay in. He wouldn't leave him in the hospital because it wasn't safe for him. They might try to kill him again. On the way,