Prologue

The room was dim-lit. Red was the color of the illuminating lamps hanging on the bricked walls. Everything inside the room is red and so are the people sitting comfortably on the couches, waiting for the execution of the said event.

On the mini table found in one corner are two black whips that will be used for the test. This will test your endurance, loyalty, and integrity. A test that will surely make an ordinary person cry in pain and give up if they don’t have a strong will. Three hundred lashes will be observed during this initiation — that means, the people who are present are probably going to join the session. They are the seven founders of the organization; the Feodus.

“Are you ready?” maangas na tanong ng isa sa pitong lalaking kanina’y nakaupo na nakapaligid sa kanya. If he wasn’t mistaken, his name was Patricio “Trace” Dimagiba. Napatikwas nang bahagya ang itaas niyang bibig and formed a smirk nang maalala ang pangalan nito.

Patricio! Patricio! His name seemed to echo in his mind.

He was top-naked. His recruiter Elliot Hart told him earlier to remove his shirt as one of the rules during the initiation. His hands were tied above his head. Tanging ang suot niyang faded ripped jeans ang natira na pinaresan ng brown leather ankle boots.

“I’m not here if I wasn’t ready, Patricio!”

Not a second after he answered, naramdaman niya ang sunod-sunod na hagupit ng hawak na pamalo ni Trace. It was a bunch of stripped leather cords, rolled with a knot at the end. Pero hindi siya natinag dito. It was nothing compared to the pain he endured since he witnessed the tragic incident happened when he was nine. According to the people around him; his clients, business partners, his sidekicks, para siyang batong deka-dekada na pero hindi natitibag ng kahit anong unos o bagyong dumaan.

“You should fucking know who is the boss here, moron! Call. Me. Boss!”

Trace raised his voice, commanded him. His face was just an inch distant from him. He saw how his jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth with anger. He succeeded to trigger him. Elliot told him about Trace. Ayaw nitong tawagin siya sa pangalan niyang Patricio.

He wasn’t intimidated. Napangisi siya dito. He run his stares from his long dishevelled hair, which you’d think hadn’t been combed in a decade. Then their intense stares met. Nagsukatan sila ng tingin. Pero hindi siya nagpatalo. Nobody has ever been able to scare or shake him. But of course, he knows what he was doing. He has a purpose why he was here at the Agrianthropos City. He swallowed his pride because it is needed. He wanted an allies to acheive his goal; his vengeance to the devil who brought his family to their tragic demise. He was a mafia boss. A leader who was named with many cacodemonic titles which even made him showed more how formidable and fearless he is. Pero wala siya sa teritoryo niya kaya kailangan niya ang tulong at proteksyon ng organisasyon.

“Yes, Boss!” he responded while he tilted his head slightly and eyed on Trace’s annoyed face nang pabalik na ulit ito sa kan’yang likuran to continue the lashes.

“Don’t be too confident, Morelli. we just started.” Sabi nito sa kan’ya nang may diin ang bawat kataga bago may kinuha sa isang sulok.

He shifted his stares na bahagyang nakayuko para sundan ang mga galaw nito pero agad din siyang napaangat ng tingin when he scourges him from behind. Hindi niya mabilang kung ilang hagupit ang tumama sa likurang bahagi ng kan’yang katawan at mga binting nababalot ng kan’yang suot na pantalon. Ang alam niya, ramdam niya ang bawat panggigigil ni Patricio sa kanya.

He gritted his teeth simultaneously as he clenched his fists to endure what he was going through.

“Kaya pa ba, Morelli?”

Isang tinig na nagmula sa isa sa mga founders na nakaupo sa isa sa mahabang sofa na naroroon. He was Lev Petrov, the previous leader of the organizatiom turned adviser kung tama ang pagkakatanda niya sa sinabi ng kan’yang recruiter na si Elliot.

“Yes, Master!” he answered briefly, looking at him straight to his eyes.

“Hithit!”

He was startled when suddenly, Trace appeared in front of him. Hindi niya napaghandaan dahil nakatutok siya kay Lev.

“Hihithit ka o tatapusin kita?” Pasigaw na utos sa kanya ng kaharap sabay tutok ng baril nang tinitigan niya lang ang hawak nito. Kung hindi siya nagkakamali ay isa itong cannabis na nirolyo ng maliit. Muli siyang napangisi. Mas lalo siyang ginanahang inisin ito.

“What’s that for, Patricio?” he asked, emphasizing his name. Alam niya kung anong binabalak nito pero sadyang naaaliw siya sa pagiging bangag nito.

“Stop fucking call me Patricio! You are not allowed!” pasigaw na sabi nito sabi sa kanya. Ramdam niya pa ang pagtalsik ng laway nito sa kan’yang mukha pero bigla siyang napalingon nang may bahagyang tumawa. It was Logan Castillejo, if hindi siya nagkamali, ito ang pinsan ni Trace ayon kay Elliot. Pati si Elliot ay nakitawa na din dito. Trace turned to their direction and darted them with a glare. Halos lapain niya ang mga ito sa inis kaya napangisi pa siya lalo.

“Stop it!” saway nitong pasigaw sa dalawa na tila inaasar siya at muli siya nitong binalikan and forced him to take the drug.

“Hihithitin mo ‘to or tatapusin na lang kita?” wika nito sabay diin ng dulo ng baril sa kan’yang sintido.

“I don’t need drugs for endurance. I have a high pain tolerance. Lashes? It is nothing compared to the pain of losing your loved ones, so just go on. You can give me fifty lashes today, but you can’t force me to take that drug,” he said sarcastically which escalated Trace’s anger and whip him one after another while cursing him countlessly.

Cigarettes, drugs, he does not like it. He doesn’t care if his men does it but for him it’s a no. He was aware that people doesn’t believe it but they can ask him for drinks until they crawl from drunkenness but as much as possible he won’t take drugs. He tried but he didn’t allowed himself to be addicted to it. Even though he was kind of a devil but he loves himself. He has a healthy habits kaya kahit mga babae niya ay may schedules ng check-up at sinisiguro niyang walang ibang nakikigamit sa mga ito.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Elliot slightly shaking his head, smiling lopsidedly habang ang iba pa ay pinapanood ang bawat hagupit ni Trace sa kanya. Hindi na niya nabilang kung nakailan na ito. He knows he needed to receive a partial of a hundred total of lashes.

Trace finishes the fifty lashes that he told him he can have that day. Elliot untied him after Trace just left him and slumped himself on the sofa habang hithit ang drogang kanina’y inaalok sa kan’ya.

“Tibay mo, p’re,” sabi ni Elliot sa kanya sabay tapik sa likod niyang puro pasa. He slightly winced in pain. Sa paglapat ng palad nito sa kan’yang balat, doon niya pa lang naramdaman ang sakit na dulot ng mga hagupit ni Trace. He briefly stared at Elliot bago humakbang to get his black shirt nang muling magsalita ito sa kan’yang likuran.

“We’re not done yet!” wika nito.

“Okay! Where are we going next?” he asked. He had already an idea what is next to happen kaya naman inihanda na niya ang sarili. He grope in his pocket. He needed a protection kaya nagdala siya.

Elliot gestured to follow him. Nauna nang lumabas ang iba pa kaya sumunod na din sila.

They arrived at the place. It was Lev Petrov’s club–Idée Fixe. Pagpasok pa lang, they were immediately met by the wrecking smell of alcohol and cigarettes that permeatimg into his nose.

He was then introduced to a person na makakasama niya for the next activity that the founders prepared for him. Namilog ang kanyang mata nang makita kung sino ang makakasama. He was surprised. He knows the person so well. Dax Ashton Sullivan is his name.

“Dito ka din boss?” The guy asked him surprisingly.

“Yeah! I’ll tell you when were done here,” he replied. They then entered the private room. There ten women are waiting for them. The founders were following them to witness the activity.

“But, boss—”

He raised his right hand to cut off Ashton’s words sabay hugot sa kan’yang bulsa ng bagay na sabi niya ay proteksyon.

“I’m prepared!” Itinaas niya ang kamay na may hawak ng silver package while the other hand was unbuckling his belt and unzip his jeans.

Ashton did the same bago pa man lubusang makalapit ang mga babaeng tila hayok kung makatitig sa kanila. They performed the ritual. Tiniyak nilang they satisfied those ten whores crawlimg on their feet. Sanay na siya sa ganitong gawain and Ash knows about it. Tanging focus nila is to pass the test.

Last week of the inititation came and all the three rituals were done. The last one was just easy-peasy for him; to kill.

Agad na lumapit ang pitong founders sa kanya after he receives the last numbers of lashes. Napadako ang tingin niya kay Trace na hula niya ay nakahithit na naman. May inis na sinalubong nito ang kaniyang mga titig dahil. Bahagya siyang napailing at muling bumaling sa iba. Balewala na sa kanya ang uri ng ugali ni Trace dahil sa nakikita niya ang sarili dito minsan.

“Welcome to Foedus, Maverick Nicolo Morelli!”