6 New Bonds and Fading Shadows
As Beatriz left for work, Bellator headed to his mother's room. Since the house only had two rooms, Aurelia and Beatriz shared one.
Upon entering the room, Bellator saw Aurelia sleeping. 'I just realized, but this is the first time I've ever had a sibling,' he thought, observing Aurelia in her pink "GoodbyeKitty" pyjamas, her messy blonde hair covering her face, and her faint breathing audible.
'Damn. I might just develop a sister complex,' Bellator thought, chuckling. "Hey, wake up," he said, shaking Aurelia's body.
*Hmmm,* Aurelia groggily responded, her hair still covering her face. "Huuhh... Big brother?" she asked with a yawn.
"It's time for school," Bellator said, patting Aurelia's head. Leaving the room, he started making breakfast for both of them, preparing simple bacon and eggs.
As the aroma of crispy bacon and soft eggs filled the room, Aurelia emerged in her school uniform, a small white skirt, knee-length tights, a slightly oversized white shirt, and a jersey with the school insignia.
'Cute,' Bellator thought.
"Breakfast is ready," he said, handing Aurelia a plate. Taking a bite, she exclaimed, "Thas ishh... Good," with a mouth full of food.
"Hey, eat slowly; the food won't run away," Bellator teased, amused by Aurelia's antics. While eating, he couldn't help but compliment himself. 'I really am a good cook, aren't I?' he thought, a smile forming on his face.
However, the smile faded as Bellator thought about the man who taught him how to cook.
'It seems I still miss you, Dad,' he reflected, recalling his father's face.
'Though I've got a new family now, and I won't let them suffer the way you did,'
he resolved sure to not repeat his mistakes from the past
"Bell, why do you look so angry?" Aurelia asked, noticing Bellator's expression.
"Because you're gonna be late for school," Bellator said, checking the time. After finishing her meal, Aurelia quickly went to brush her teeth.
Leaving the house and walking down the street, Bellator was surprised by the view outside. Beggars were sleeping on street corners, and a foul smell lingered in the air. Men and women of different ages traveled in hover vehicles.
'Even a neighborhood like this has technology that far surpasses my old world,' he thought, looking at the vehicles.
Walking Aurelia to the bus stop, a huge yellow bus hovered towards them.The bus was painted yellow and black and on the side held the insignia of Aurelia' s school.
Seeing her school bus Aurelia gave Bellator a kiss on the cheek as she got inside.
"See you later, big brother," she said before the bus flew away.
---
**District 3, in a hospital room**
In a hospital, a boy with a blindfold over his eyes cried. He appeared a year younger than Bellator, standing at 5 ft 10 with a skinny build.
As the hospital room door opened, a doctor walked in. Approaching the kid, the doctor put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, sir, but it seems your mother will have to be discharged," the doctor said.
"Please, doctor, just one more month. I promise to pay back all the money I owe. Just give me one more month," the boy pleaded, looking at his mother's sickly body, her skin was pale as her muscles could be seen protruding from her body, her face seemed disfigured a testament to the tragedy she had been apart of
"I promise, just give me a month, and I'll have the funds for the surgery," the boy begged.
"We have already given you 6 months to pay, yet you still have an outstanding bill," the doctor said apologetically.
"I'm sorry, but we can't give you any more time. There are other patients who need this room," the doctor added apologetically.
"Just a week," the boy pleaded, tears streaming down his face even with the blindfold on tears could be seen wetting the bed his mother laid on
"Even if I have to sell our house, I promise by the end of this week I'll have the money," he pled.
"Okay, but this is the last time. If you can't come up with the money, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you any longer," the doctor said while sighing
---
Arriving back home, Bellator started packing his clothes.
'I'm running out of time; I need to acquire those items soon,'
he thought, planning his journey.
Noticing the box in his room, Bellator immediately went to the kitchen and took out a knife.
'Mom said it needs my blood.' Cutting his palm with the knife,
Clenching his fist from the pain,his heartbeat quickened proof of the pain he felt
As his blood made contact with the box, something extraordinary happened. The box started levitating as a blinding light filled the room. Closing his eyes, the light seemed to grow brighter and brighter. The radiant light filled the room for a minute as the box disappeared, and there in its place was a...
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**Author notes:** I know this chapter was a bit short, and I apologize for that. Most of you must be waiting for some action, but I first needed to build a base for the novel. You don't have to wait much longer as the action will be starting soon. Sorry for all the info dumps needed for you to understand how the world works and also understand Bell's character. The story will get more interesting from here, so just wait and see.
