Wh us woke up, he felt a hot ssation on his back, right where the tattoo was. For a few seconds, there was a strange connection, like the tattoo was alive, but just as quickly as it came, the feeling faded away. He tried to reconnect with it, focusing as hard as he could, but nothing happed. It was like a door had be shut, and he was locked out. us could only sigh in frustration.


    He lifted himself off the chair, standing there bare-chested. James, Jojo, Xian, Matt, and Ziggy were all grinning at him. us returned the smile, but something felt off. Their smiles wer''t directed at him—they were looking somewhere else. Confused, us turned to nce at the mirror and saw teardrops on his cheek.


    He blushed slightly, quickly wiping them away. "Hahaha, it''s normal. I''m surprised you didn''t scream during the process," Mattughed, giving us a hearty pat on the shoulder.


    "This is a sign he''s a real man," Jojo said, puffing out his chest with pride. "Real m have a strong resistance to pain."


    Xian nodded in agreemt. "Yeah, I''ve se grown m cry like babies in this chair. But you, us, you took it like a champ."


    Ziggy, the tattoo artist, smiled and added, "It''s rare to see someone stay so calm during their first tattoo, especially one as detailed as yours. You''ve got guts."


    James, who had be quiet, finally spoke up. "And here I was, betting you''d pass out halfway through," he said with a smirk. "Guess I lost that one."


    The group started bragging about their own experices. Matt wt on about how he got his first tattoo wh he was just 6 and how he''d fainted right after it was done. Jojo, not to be outdone, told the story of getting a tattoo on his ribcage, which everyone knew was one of the most painful spots.


    "I didn''t make a sound," Jojo imed proudly. "Ev though it felt like someone was digging into my bones."


    "Yeah, right," Xian teased. "You were whimpering the whole time."


    "Was not!" Jojo shot back, but the others justughed.


    us listed, feeling a mix of amusemt and relief. The pain from the tattoo was still fresh in his mind, but hearing these stories made it feel more manageable. It was like he was now part of some unofficial club, one that came with its own set of bragging rights.


    Ziggy looked at us and said, "You did good, kid. Wear that tattoo with pride. It''s more than just ink on your skin now."


    us nodded, appreciating the stimt. He still felt that strange disconnection, but he pushed it aside for now. There was no point in dwelling on it, especially wh he had just gone through something so intse.


    The m continued to joke a, talking about their next tattoos,paring designs, andughing at each other''s stories. The atmosphere in the shop was light and filled with camaraderie, a stark contrast to the dark and mysterious experice us had just gone through.


    The process he has just gone through is too real. He saw chaos and carnage. He saw bloodshed on a smaller andrger scale. He saw worlds destroyed,s, stars, and gxies destroyed. he couldn''t help but wonder where he was in this chaos.


    "So us, where are you staying now, and how''s your mother?" Jojo asked, his voice carrying a bit of concern ev as the group continued to joke andugh.


    "My mom''s fine," us replied with a smile. "As for where we live, well, after my dad wt missing, we had to move to the slums. But that''s just temporary." He tried to keep his tone light, not wanting to stir any trouble or make them feel sorry for him.


    But us quickly realized he had underestimated how much they cared. Jojo''s smile faded, reced by a look of anger. "Who forced you out? Tell me, and this big uncle will storm over there right now!" Jojo stood up, his aura ring as he clched his fist, veins popping out on his arm.


    us''s eyes wided slightly at Jojo''s reaction. He hadn''t expected that. "It''s only temporary," us said, shaking his head with a reassuring smile. "We''ll be back in the city soon ough. You don''t need to waste your time on things like that, Uncle Jojo."


    Jojo''s fists slowly unclched, but the intsity in his eyes didn''t fade. "Temporary or not, no one should be pushing you and your mom a," he muttered, still clearly upset.


    Xian, noticing the tsion, chimed in with a grin, trying to light the mood. "us is right, Jojo. Besides, you''re too old to be storming anywhere. Let the young ones handle it."


    Jojo huffed but sat back down, his expression softing a bit. "Just know, us, if anyone gives you trouble, youe to me, okay? We''ve got your back."


    "Thanks, Uncle Jojo," us replied, guinely touched. "I appreciate it, really."


    Ziggy, who had be quietly observing, nodded in agreemt. "The slums can be tough, but it''s not where you''ll stay forever. You''re a tough kid, us. You and your mom will make it through this."


    Ziggy could sse the determination in us''s voice wh he said he would handle things. It was a rare quality, one that spoke volumes about his character. Ziggy knew that if they stepped in and took over now, it might undermine us''s growth and resilice in the long run. Sometimes, the best thing to do was to step back and let a person face their challges head-on.


    All he could do was watch and be there if needed.


    "We will, Uncle Ziggy," us said with a smile, appreciating their concern. The others nodded in agreemt, their expressions softing but still carrying a hint of seriousness.


    Ziggy leaned in slightly, his voice calm but firm. "But just so you know, in the future, if things get a little sticky, remember that you''ve got five uncles right here who will do everything in their power to help you. Your father helped us so much that we can''t ev repay all he did for us in this lifetime." He shook his head, a mix of respect and regret in his eyes.


    The room grew quieter as the weight of Ziggy''s words sank in. us could feel the depth of their bond, how much his father had meant to these m. They had be away wh his father, Pete, wt missing, and by the time they returned, they couldn''t find us or his mother. They had assumed the two had moved away.


    But now, hearing that us and his mother had be forced into the slums, their emotions shifted. Ev though they were trying to keep calm, us could sse the simmering anger beath their surfaces, a quiet but intse killing intt directed at whoever was responsible.


    They were ready to fight if it came to that.


    us, though touched by their fierce loyalty, knew that this was his battle to fight. "Thank you, all of you," he said, his voice steady but full of emotion. "I know I can count on you if things get bad, but I''ve got to do this on my own for now. My mom and I will get through this, I promise."


    Ziggy gave him a knowing nod, the others following suit. They understood, ev if it was hard to stand by and watch. But they respected us''s choice.


    "Just remember, us," Jojo said, his tone a bit lighter now but still serious, "we''re not just here for wh things get bad. We''re here for all of it—the good, the bad, and everything in betwe."


    us smiled, feeling a surge of gratitude and determination. "I''ll remember that, Uncle Jojo. I really appreciate it."


    The mood in the room gradually shifted back to something more rxed as they started to talk about lighter things again.


    "By the way, how many people have you killed so far?" Xian suddly asked, cutting through the lighter conversation with an unexpected question.


    Jojo immediately smacked Xian on the back of the head. "You bastard, why would you ask him that?" he said, clearly annoyed.


    us watched their antics with a chuckle. They were older, but they acted like childr sometimes, which was oddly dearing.


    Ziggy shot Xian a disapproving look before turning to us. "You don''t have to answer that," he said, clearly ufortable with the question.


    us waved it off with a shrug. "It''s okay. I hav''t killed many—just an idiot who tried to steal my monster corpses and threated my mom." He said it with a casual air as if it was no big deal.


    The room fell silt for a momt, th suddly, everyone burst into resoundingughter.


    Jojo, perhaps overly happy at us''s response, pped him on the back. "Good kid, you did well. In this life, our lives should be devoted to the ones we love. Real m protect their mothers."


    Theughter continued, and a warm and guine sound filled the room. us felt a sse of belonging and relief. Despite the tough circumstances, he was sured by people who guinely cared for him and his mother.


    Ziggy shook his head with a smile, joining in theughter. "Alright, alright, let''s not get too carried away. us, you''ve got a lot of pottial. Just keep your focus and remember who you''re doing this for."


    us nodded. He is devoted to his mother, so he knew no matter what, he will always protect her. They chatted for a while and wh the sun started to dip, us left. But before leaving, the five uncles gave him some stuff saying he should count them as a fraction of the debt they owe his father.


    us could only ept them after some persuasion. After leaving, he wt to some stores and bought some more foodstuff, ice cream, and some leather clothes before heading home. That night, us had a dream: he was fighting on an ancit battlefield sured by dead froz bodies.


    The next day, he got the surprise of his life.