underground figths.

He found himself in a dense darkness, akin to a moonless night, his body fatigued to the point of exhaustion. He felt like a spiral silently circulating a stream of icy water.

-Help, - he tried to say, but he couldn't hear his voice, not even a gasping cry. He was in a silent void that corresponded to a command of fear. He had heard once that space wasn't silent because sound didn't travel, or well, sound waves didn't. He began to count, one by one, the count was long, he lost track sometimes, everything became obsolete, and fear was what dominated his senses.

Like a mass of earth, the pressure exerted a sustained force on his entire body. He could only move his fingers in small millimeters, almost like a neural reaction. The suffocation he began to experience prevented him from moving perfectly; he felt stiffness as if he were in a deep mud puddle. His hands didn't react to the stimuli sent by his brain. He saw a yellowish light deep down, approaching. He wouldn't know at what speed, but it gave him a sensation of dread. The light ran faster than he thought. In a second, he saw a large screen of light that blinded his vision.

In oscillating movements, he woke up.

-Is everything okay, Mr. Kei Kazama has been distracted the entire class, - said a man with thick glasses, and jet-black hair. Around, the gaze of some children.

The crowd focused on him. He understood the dialogue perfectly; it wasn't his native language; this is... Mandarin.

-Everything's fine, Mr. Akisawa, - said Kei Kazama, surprised to have spoken the same language and responded to someone he just met.

-Pay attention to class. Tomorrow we have a quiz on fractions and division. The message is for everyone. If you want to pass the first year of high school, you must know that this topic is necessary to pass the course, - Mr. Akisawa said.

-Yes, sir, - murmured Kei Kazama, with some fear, about the situation he was in.

Continuing with the class, the first example is solved simply with a correct sum. Although fractions can help us solve the problem, it is simple if we have the logic to understand them...

"Kei Kazama was his name.

He was lost in thought... he's an 11-year-old boy. Among all his memories, of Kei Kazama's life, who was part of a large family of 7 siblings, one of the poorest families in the region, his eldest brother, 29, was part of the mafia and helped the family's dire situation only for his interests and to use his brothers as he pleased. Followed by two brothers loyal to their eldest brother, but his dark attitude always terrified Kei Kazama, with beatings, and numerous fights he faced were many, a punching bag used to release the rage of most of his brothers.

A 23-year-old sister, who was able to study thanks to the work of her older brothers... she married a rich guy and forgot about her poorer family. Kei couldn't meet her, but some photos in the house were seen; in contempt of her poor family, she never returned to the place where she grew up all her life, she sent gifts to her younger brothers and her mother as an apology for leaving them. His next brother, the fifth eldest at 19, worked as a librarian and was one of the most loved by his younger brothers, he dropped out of school and dedicated himself to working tirelessly to rebuild his life.

The sixth brother, 15, was a gang member who followed his three older brothers, had anger issues, and lived with his older brothers after dropping out of school. He occasionally showed up at his mother's house to receive food or medical treatment; he was the one who hit Kei the most.

The seventh was him, the little boy who had the misfortune to be born into a large family of children and was overwhelmed by his mother's despair in caring for her last child, mother of four gang members, Kei Kazama wanted to be like his older brothers; making his mother proud wasn't part of Kei Kazama's thoughts, who had been completely influenced by his role models.

The first brother was a narcissist, who cared about the family, but more about himself. He made it clear with the fifth brother, whom he banished from the family for challenging him to leave his mother and younger brothers alone... there was something between the fourth sister and the first brother that Kei didn't know.

His mother worked full-time in a market store; on weekends, she worked in the plaza all day, allowing her to choose some market fruits and vegetables at affordable prices. Blessed was his mother, tired all the time from all the problems she had to face.

The last days of classes were about to end, and the midterm exams to move on to the next grade were in order... in a public school, the requirement wasn't that high; attending classes, submitting assignments, and doing the minimum on exams were enough to move on to the next year.

-Next week, we will have end-of-year exams, I hope you understand the importance of these exams, - Mr. Akizawa said.

All the children rested; the bell gave them space to breathe deeply; they all hated school like all children do.

Kei Kazama packed his bag with a long sigh. He would have to walk thirty blocks to get home; that's almost an hour's walk. One of the reasons he hated going to school was the distance he covered every day; as the urban landscape disappeared, a favela of houses began to unfold, he reached a medium-sized house on a small hill, and his father built it with his own hands. The house was under a large cliff, dilapidated all around. He entered the house and didn't see anyone, but everything was silent; a primal instinct adjusted to his being; he felt a little panic.

The shadows were deep in the afternoons and few in the mornings.

-Kei, you've arrived earlier than I expected, - a voice murmured from the shadows.

-Brother, - said Kei, with some panic, he stupidly replied, - I thought you were a thief; stop being so mysterious. -

The shadow reflected three people on the old couch.

-That's right, little brother, I haven't been invited to this house for some time; come closer, I want to see how much you've grown, - said Hiroshi, the first brother, the narcissist who believed he was the center of the world.

He approached his brother, a man with a purple checkered shirt and black pants, with three scars on his face, one near his neck, the other two across his left cheek almost to his eyes.

-Is something wrong, brother? - said Kei Kazama.

-Come closer, brother, - said Hiroshi, more imperious than usual.

Kei approached the shadow, and saw his brother's straight hair, along with his other two brothers, Iji and Niji, each with somber looks on their hard faces.

-Ah, my dear little brother, now that you've arrived early, Mom won't miss you for a while. Come, we have a meeting to attend, - said Hiroshi.

Cradling Kei Kazama's head.

-A meeting! - said Kei, somewhat nervous, his body betrayed him; he used to receive constant beatings.

-Come on, Kei, I'll buy you sweets after the meeting, - said Hiroshi.

Although he didn't want to accept it, the mention of sweets controlled his mouth to respond.

-Well. -

He didn't want to accept.

-That's my little brother, just a small meeting, you'll be back before dawn, - said Hiroshi, looking at his younger brothers and nodding. - Let's go. -

They walked out the door, only Kei Kazama's backpack on the living room table would provide evidence of his arrival. He saw his reflection in the window, his hair standing up red, and his baby face, the first time he recognized himself in front of a mirror...

Kei followed his brother Hiroshi. He had no other choice; the beatings his brother used to give him weren't a joke; it was better to go along with it, and he bought you anything you wanted as long as you didn't ask more questions. They walked through alleys full of garbage, to a building with an underground entrance, full of rough guys drinking beer, playing with knives, or talking about crimes.

Where the hell am I?

...