The sun, a tired eye in the perpetually hazy sky of the Lawless City, cast long, distorted shadows down the narrow alleyways. A familiar symphony of shouts, distant clangs from the blacksmith, and the persistent hum of street vendors filled the air.

In one such alley, tucked away from the main thoroughfare, a scene unfolded that was, tragically, all too common. A young boy, no older than eleven, lay crumpled on the grimy cobblestones, his thin frame wracked with sobs. Above him loomed the menacing figure of Leon, a seventeen-year-old with a sneer perpetually etched on his face, surrounded by his crude entourage.

"You're useless," Leon spat, his foot connecting with the boy's gut, eliciting a pained gasp. "Teach him a lesson. He needs to learn that I'm much scarier than the shop owner." The other boys closed in, their smirks widening as they cracked their knuckles, ready to deliver another brutal 'lesson'. The sounds of kicks and muffled cries soon mingled with the city's general din, largely ignored by those who passed by.