Shadow’s Redemption

Chapter Seven: Sworn Brotherhood (Part 1)

It hurts, it hurts so much!

It felt as if his chest had been smashed with a sledgehammer and then a boulder weighing at least several hundred kilograms had been placed on it. Otherwise, why would he feel an unbearable stabbing pain in his chest every time he took a breath?

Faced with this far from comfortable feeling, he couldn't help but let out a soft groan, and a woman's voice, filled with surprise and joy, rang in his ears: "Felix, you're finally awake."

Before Felix “Flick” Shadow could even open his eyes, he was suddenly pulled into a warm embrace. He smelled his mother's familiar scent, and although the movement made his chest ache even more, a look of blissful intoxication appeared on Flick’s face.

His mother was also a soldier, and her job was professional surveying. She spent several times more time in the field each year than at home. In Flick’s memory, he hadn't been able to snuggle in his mother's arms so happily in a long time.

A sharp "slap" suddenly rang in his ears, and a burning sensation quickly spread across his face. Flick, who was enjoying his mother's gentle embrace, was truly puzzled. It seemed like he had been slapped?!

"Smack!"

Another crisp slap echoed in the room.

Yes, someone was raising their hand and slapping him hard across the face. Then his mother's complaining voice rang in his ears, "The child was unconscious in the hospital for two whole days! Can't you ask him what's going on before you talk? He just woke up, his eyes haven't even opened yet, and you're already hitting him? Is that how a father should act?"

"Am I not acting like a father? I, Harlan Shadow, can't afford to raise a son like him, and I dare not raise him!"

The second person in the room was none other than Flick’s father, Harlan “Toad” Shadow! He pointed at Flick and said, "This kid is only eight years old, eight years old! At eight years old, he dared to run into the General’s house, pouring gasoline and trying to set it on fire. People who know him say it's just a disobedient child causing trouble, but those who don't might think I have a problem with the General and am trying to vent my frustrations in this way!"

At this point, Toad became truly agitated. He paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan. "Honey, tell me! I, Harlan Shadow, have always been careful in my conduct, striving to maintain good relationships with everyone around me. Even when I suffer injustice, I just laugh it off and never hold grudges. How could I have given birth to such a lawless brat who, at only eight years old, dared to set fire to the army General’s house with gasoline?!"

Faced with this scene, even Flick’s mother, who was tightly hugging him, couldn't help but shake her head slightly.

Although they hadn't yet gotten the details of what happened from Flick, the gossipy women in the service squad who were present that day had already spread the story of what happened at the General’s house two days prior all over the place. With so many voices, the story had become even more fantastical. If it weren't for the fact that Flick was so small and his cowardly nature was well-known, it might have already escalated into a high-level incident such as a terrorist attack on the commander's residence.

It's no wonder that Harlan Shadow, who always takes "a moment of patience brings calm, a step back opens up a vast sky" as his motto, was so anxious that his eyes were blazing with anger and he was completely at a loss.

Seeing Flick still lingering in his mother's arms, unwilling to get out, Toad stepped forward without a word and left five bright red finger marks on Flick’s face. "If you're awake, stop pretending to be dead in your mother's arms. Now that you've done this, there's no way you can run away. Get up right now and come with me to the General’s house to apologize. Also, wife, go home later and bring that rolling pin from the kitchen, then come to the General’s house to find me."

Flick’s mother suddenly hugged her child tightly. She looked at Harlan warily and asked, "What do you want to do?"

What are you doing?

Toad glared and said, "Of course we'll take this little brat to the General’s house to beg for forgiveness, and break his legs in front of him! Do you know how many people in the entire military region are watching with bated breath, waiting to see me make a fool of myself? Do we have to wait until the General gets impatient and sends someone to tell us what to do before we cautiously run over? Let me tell you, by then it will be too late!"

Flick knew he couldn't avoid this hurdle; in fact, he never entertained any wishful thinking about it.

Harlan Shadow is a universally acknowledged gentleman to others. He gives too much tolerance and forbearance to outsiders, leaving his family with nothing but pent-up frustration and anger.

When bullied at school, Flick never dared to fight back, much less initiate a fight. As long as the other person didn't leave any marks or bruises on his face, even if they spat in his face, he wouldn't say a word. Because if he came home with a face injury, Toad never asked what happened. Every time, he would rush into the kitchen, grab a rolling pin as thick as an egg, and give Flick a good beating on the buttocks.

The reason is simple... "They only teach you a lesson because they think you're a bad kid who doesn't learn good habits. Your dad is upright and honest, so why don't two people suddenly jump out of the street and beat me up?"

Flick finally opened his eyes. He was lying in a ward at the military region's directly affiliated hospital. Through the glass window on the door, Flick could clearly see some people watching their interrogation and inevitable family discipline with faces full of curiosity and excitement.

"Kid, tell me, did you really go to the General’s house thinking of setting it on fire with gasoline?"

Flick had barely nodded when he received another heavy slap across the face.

Toad’s breathing was frighteningly heavy. "Tell me, why did you run to the General’s house and set it on fire?"

"They were beating up Jaxon Kane, and I panicked and wanted to help him..."

"Slap! Slap!"

Before he finished speaking, ten more bright red finger marks appeared on Flick’s face. This time, Toad struck hard enough that blood slowly seeped from Flick’s lips as he regained consciousness.

Toad looked truly enraged. Ignoring the growing crowd of onlookers outside the ward, he forcefully shoved away his mother, who was rushing to protect her son. Facing Flick, whose face was already silently streaming down tears of grievance, he shouted, "What business is it of yours if others teach that Jaxon Kane a lesson? You haven't even grown your wings yet, and you're already trying to help others? Who do you think you are?! Let me tell you, if you don't get beaten to death by me this time, you'll have to keep your head down and walk your own path in the future! That Jaxon Kane you mentioned, people are only trying to teach him a lesson because he's no good!"

Normally, Flick would have kept his mouth shut and tried to quell Toad’s anger with the most obedient and docile attitude.

And this time he did just that.

But as Flick lowered his head, ready to admit his mistake, a sentence Jax had once said suddenly echoed in his ears... "He can sit here and have a drink with me, so he is my friend. No matter how successful I, Jax, have become in this life, I have never had the habit of letting my friend have his father cursed to his face!"

In all his years, Flick has never had anyone speak up for him when he was insulted!

In the silence, amidst the crowd watching outside the ward, as his mother slowly approached, attempting to protect him once more, before he completely lost consciousness, Jax’s roar suddenly became clear and intense in Flick’s mind: "If you dare touch my brother, I will die with you!"

"No!"

Flick suddenly raised his face, which was red and swollen from the beating. Even as tears streamed down his face, his eyes shone with an unprecedented light. He cried out, "Jax isn't a bad person! He's my friend! If someone tries to bully him, I'll help him!!!"

"you……!!!"

Harlan was truly stunned, and even the crowd watching the commotion outside the ward suddenly fell silent.

"Slap! Slap! Slap..."

Just then, light applause suddenly rang out outside the ward.

"Good, good, good! You truly are my friend in adversity, and even more so, my good brother who fought alongside me and even bit off two of his teeth to cover me!"

Flick suddenly turned his head. Who was that big boy who stood proudly outside the ward door, clapping and looking at him with warm eyes? Wasn't that Jaxon Kane, who tricked him into smoking, taught him to drink, and swore to change his tragic fate of only being able to sleep with a woman after the age of thirty?

"You pay me..."

Toad’s angry shout, which was already somewhat exasperated, stopped abruptly. He might not know who Jax was, but how could Harlan not know Colonel Marcus “Mace” Reed, who was standing quietly behind Jax, the General’s confidant who held an absolutely transcendent position in the entire military region?

The presence of Colonel "Mace" Reed was like a sudden drop in temperature. The gossiping nurses and curious soldiers in the hallway melted away, leaving only the sound of Harlan “Toad” Shadow’s ragged, fearful breathing. Toad’s hand, still raised for another slap, began to tremble before he slowly lowered it, his face turning a sickly shade of gray.

"Colonel Reed," Toad stammered, his bravado evaporating. "I was just... I was teaching the boy a lesson in respect. He's been reckless, sir. I didn't mean any offense to the General."

Mace Reed didn't look at Toad. His eyes were fixed on Flick, who was still sitting on the hospital bed, his face a map of red welts and drying blood. Then, Reed looked at Jax.

"He's got more spine than you, Shadow," Reed said, his voice cold and precise. "Maybe the wrong person got the nickname 'Toad' in this family."

Jax stepped into the room, bypassing Toad as if he were a piece of furniture. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Flick. The older boy’s eyes were soft, a stark contrast to the murderous rage he had shown at the manor. He reached out and gently tapped the gap where Flick’s two teeth were missing.

"Does it hurt?" Jax asked.

Flick shook his head, though his eyes were brimming with tears. "Not anymore."

"You're a crazy little bastard, you know that?" Jax whispered, a small, genuine smile tugging at the corner of his bruised mouth. "Burning down a General's house for a guy you barely know. That’s either true friendship or pure insanity."

"You're my brother," Flick replied, his voice regaining its strength. "Brothers don't let brothers get beaten to death."

Reed cleared his throat, pulling everyone’s attention back to the grim reality. "Enough of the reunion. Shadow, your son is being reassigned. General Garrison has seen fit to place him under the jurisdiction of the 541st Special Projects Division."

Toad’s eyes went wide. "Reassigned? He’s only eight! He belongs in the Academy school, not—"

"He belongs where we put him," Reed interrupted. "He’s shown a level of tactical initiative and loyalty that your 'upright and honest' lifestyle couldn't produce in a hundred years. As of now, his schooling and training are the responsibility of the state. You will receive his stipend, and you will not interfere. Is that clear?"

Toad swallowed hard, his eyes darting between the Colonel and the two boys. He saw the way Flick was looking at Jax—with a devotion that Toad had never earned. He realized he had lost his son, not to a tragedy, but to a world far beyond his comprehension.

"Clear, sir," Toad whispered.

Jax stood up and held out a hand to Flick. "Come on, kid. We’ve got a long road ahead of us. They’re taking us to a place called Blackwood. It’s gonna be hell, but we’re going together."

Flick took Jax’s hand, feeling the callouses and the steady strength of the older boy. He didn't look back at his father. He didn't look back at the hospital room. He walked out of the ward, his head held high for the first time in his life.

As they walked down the corridor, Jax leaned in and whispered, "By the way, about that thing I said... about changing your fate and the girls? I might have been lying about the thirty-year-old thing. With that face, you’ll be lucky to make it to twenty without a broken heart."

Flick laughed, a bright sound that echoed through the sterile hallway. In the midst of the pain and the fear, he finally felt like he was home.