This is torture! Larna shuffled through the narrow street before slumping into the grass at the sides. His shoulders rose with his breathing.

  He was running on a solitary street in an inhabited zone, with scattered houses around and lots of plants. The people who lived there could see him, but still, there weren't as many people as in the town center.

  He took his cellphone from a pocket of the sports pants he had put on and glanced at the running-tracker app.

  [1.6 km]

  He dropped his back onto the grass. "Just that?!"

  He lay there until his breath grew steadier. Then he pushed himself up. Now he had to return.

  If he ran back to his house, he would reach the 3 km on his tracker, but Larna frowned at the idea. Enough for today. His calves and thighs contorted with each step, and he felt that if he continued would faint on the spot.

  Larna walked on the deserted street, his lulled head staring at the pavement.

  “Hey.”

  He kept walking, wanting to stumble on his bed.

  “Hey!”

  Take a bath and…

  “Hey, I'm talking to you!”

  With a sigh, Larna turned to look at the voice's source. It came from a shorter boy, who looked up at him, fixing his eyeglasses.

  Larna narrowed at the boy, forcing his mind to recall where he had seen him before.

  “You're Larna.” The boy fixed his glasses on his tense face again.

  Larna nodded. I think so?

  The nerd started fixing his glasses compulsively. He looked down and shifted his feet. “Why don't you join Garuma’s clan?”

  Larna stared at the boy, blinked, and turned away. His bed awaited him.

  The nerd lingered in place, but seconds later, Larna heard his steps at his back. “Don't ignore me! I'm doing this for you!”

  Larna kept walking away. He had made his decision and was going to stay firm to it.

  “Hey!” The nerd said, grabbing Larna's sleeve.

  Larna turned around, his eyes narrowing and his face full of sweat.

  “I won't join Garuma. Sorry, but I really want to take a shower and rest.”

  The nerd let out his sleeve and stepped back. He took off his glasses and rubbed them again. “I had decided not to join Garuma, too. I resisted a lot of bullying from him, but I couldn't take it anymore.”

  The nerd sighed, fogging up the glasses, and cleaned them with his sleeve. “But I'm happy. I used to be always alone, but there I made friends. And Garuma is totally different when we are at the clan's basement, which is his house, by the way. However, I just want to tell you that joining him is the best for people like us- ”

  “Us?”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  The nerd shut up and looked up at Larna with wide eyes. Larna frowned back at him. “We could be equally weak, but you are wrong. We are not the same.”

  The nerd clenched his glasses and slammed them against the floor. “Stop acting important! You are just one bullied nerd like me!”

  Larna scolded, too tired to react further. “Yeah, but we aren't the same.”

  The nerd's blood rose to his head.

  “Why!?”

  Larna glanced down at his chest and gently put his hand on it. “I'll never forgive the flame in my chest.”

  The nerd tilted his head and narrowed. “What the heck are you talking about?!”

  Larna kept quiet. Explaining it to him would be a waste.

  The nerd shrugged before walking away. "You'll be sorry for not having taken my advice.”

  Larna watched the nerd walking away with quick steps. Why did he get so mad?

  He turned away and headed home. “I must have touched a weak spot.”

  ---

  "Finally!" Larna let his body fall onto his soft bed. Its softness, being clean after a shower, and having a full stomach, were the divine trinity of being comfortable. This is heaven.

  A succession of knocks came from Larna's door.

  He knew who it was, but he didn't have time. All his focus now was on the soft texture and the warmth of his bed and blanket.

  The door was knocked again. Larna tsked and yelled, from below his blanket.

  “Empty room, try another please!”

  In a rampage, the door blew open, thundering against the wall.

  Wrapped in his blanket, Larna looked for a small opening in it. A person stepped in. Larna wouldn't need to see her to know who it was, after all, his parents rarely came to his room.

  Not after that incident. Larna shook his head to fade that dark thought and kept peeking out of his warm shelter.

  His sister wore blue pajamas, her light brown hair loose and free. She slowly stepped, getting closer and closer.

  Larna found himself in the horrible coldness of the world as Lia yanked off his blanket. She looked at him with a frown and a little pout on her face.

  “Are you some kind of turtle?!”

  She extended her arm towards the switch on the wall.

  “No!” Larna jumped off the bed and covered it with his body.

  Lia narrowed at him, then clapped her hands twice, and the lights turned on. She stared around at the apocalyptic bedroom of his older brother.

  Larna hunched as he saw how his little sister grimaced at the view. It wasn't his fault! It was because of his depressed self! Well, the majority.

  “This is a mess! I always have to take care of you. You are the big brother, you know?!”

  Larna scratched the back of his head with a clumsy smile, avoiding Lia's eyes. She sighed and started ordering the scattered clothes.

  Larna glanced at her with a faint smile. She noticed his gaze and turned to him. "I just can't be comfortable with this mess."

  “Okay, okay,” Larna said, picking the cans up over his desk.

  Lia turned to her big brother, raising an eyebrow. “So, you really ran today?”

  “Yes”

  Lia’s eyes widened, and she smiled slightly. “Why?”

  As he cleaned it, Larna looked at his pc's screen. His face reflected on the black screen. He smiled at it and next glanced at his sister.

  “I've found what I want to do.”

  Her eyes widened again, and Larna glimpsed how they glistened before she turned away. “That's good.”

  Some minutes later, both ended cleaning the mess. Larna was seated on the bed, looking at how Lia put her hands on her waist, enjoying the change.

  “Much better!” She glared at his brother. “Don't you think?”

  Larna took his folded blanket off the bed and wrapped himself in it. “I really don't care.”

  Lia leaned close to Larna with a frown when a sharp noise of something glossy breaking echoed through the house.

  Brother and sister looked at each other with wide eyes. Larna gulped. That sound could only mean something bad.

  They ran to the living room. Shards of glass were scattered around, all coming from a broken window beside the entrance.

  What? Larna's knees felt weak, but still he ran out of the house. At a distance, he could see a few silhouettes running away. He could also hear the faint noise of their laughter.