After the surprised visit of the boss, things only got tighter around Snakepit. Theodore took time to pay extra attention to his training and sometimes he replaced Norman and started teaching Shu quick, simple tactics. It was impressive how the young albino was able to catch up with things quickly and vigilantly. He assessed the situation with care and strategized before attacking. Soon, he was able to beat Norman in close combat. Both Theodore and Norman knew this development was not a cause that happened overnight. Shu worked hard, barely took breaks, pushed himself despite the ache and the exhaustion. The more you push yourself and try to break through the limits of your life, the more enduring you become. But the teal eyed man had his own set of doubts. Sometimes, watching Shu training made him realize he was robbing him of a normal childhood.

It had been six days since the boss visited. Shu was taking a break from his beyblade practice. He sat down on the bench, his legs tucked underneath him. His coat draped over the corner. His mask was long abandoned on the floor. Shu sipped water from a bottle, staring at the black wall in front of him, deep in thought. When Theodore and Norman entered, he didn't expect it. They rarely visited him during the hours they were supposed to train. Ethan had been working all five of them to the bones in individual training facilities.

"Taking a break?" The teal eyed man asked fondly as the automatic door slipped closed behind them. From his tone, Shu realized it was safe and the camera's were no longer working in the room.

"Yeah," Shu answered, standing. Norman looked around the room. Shu scowled, "It's messy, don't mind it."

The green haired male snorted. After training together for weeks at time the pair had developed a sibling like bond between them. Theodore had been watching them engaging in conversations during breaks and he was secretly glad Norman was socializing with someone other than him. Norman also came from a tight background. A simple bond means a lot to the Noctemis blader. "We're here to talk about something important" Theodore said, slipping back to his serious tone.

Shu perked up, "Yes?"

"I think it's about time you finally grab onto some background about this project. Or else it's going to end in trouble." Theodore nodded and Norman pulled out a tablet. The screen flashing as he typed the secret password accessing the data. Shu stood beside him.

"You mean, about this gang right? About that boss?" The man still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't hesitate to inflict physical violence on anybody, considering the fact he practically shoved a gun into his mouth, Shu was quite sure he was capable of many things other than those simple threats. Norman entered a while which displayed a grid.

"It looks like a family tree" Shu commented, dismissively staring at the names and faces that meant nothing to him.

"A deadly family tree I'd say" Theodore smiled.

Shu let his eyes wander among the rows of names until he finally spotted the picture of the boss in the second row from the very top. And right under his name was Ethan's, his second in command. "That man who came here is not the head?" Shu asked, surprised.

"He's the right hand man of the Mafia Boss. The ultimate enemy at the top of the family tree." Theodore said, pointing at the top of the tree. There was no picture, no name, just a black box crossed in red. The final boss.

Shu gaped, if that man who visited here was not even the boss, how powerful this gang could be. Just who are they dealing with? "Ethan is one of the closest links we have to the Head of the tree" Norman commented. He dragged his hand to the left side of it. "And this is his left hand man."

There were zero pictures of him too but there was a code name of sorts, right under his box.

First in command : Jeff the Killer.

Shu blinked at the familiarity. He knew these characters from the internet. Almost every teenager knows them these days. "That's a creepypasta character" Shu commented, looking at the name. "Wait" Shu dragged his finger across the rest of the names lined up underneath the main commandes. All of them had code names. Names of these characters from the internet. "All these are-"

Theodore hummed, "All these are skilled assassins from the underworld. They have committed countless murder, and all of them are bladers and teenagers gone through these series of experiments."

Shu took a shaky breath, pieces falling together inside his mind. The projects, child experiments had been linked with beyblade for a long time. Back when he was in Japan, living his life as a normal student, everything had been easier and relatively safe. None of them knew what depths Beyblade held. It was transforming from a sport to a base of underground human experiments. A sick feeling rose from his stomach as the albino averted his gaze from the screen. A sport that's supposed to be fun. A sport that brought friends together. Upon discovering this part of it, Shu wasn't quite sure what to think of Beyblade anymore. Shu zoned out while Norman zoomed on the rest of the killers. There was no point because all of them wore masks and had very little information about them. His eyes lingered on the distorted box of Jeff's picture. He had seen the right hand man, naturally, his curiosity piqued at this left hand man who was one of the most fearsome assassins in the whole group and he was only a teenager. After the information Theodore and Norman had to leave the room. Ethan entered after a while to assess his improvement and as usual went off against him for slacking off. He was so used to Ethan's temper at this point Shu considered it a part of his normal routine.

That night, Shu had little to nothing to sleep. His mind was revolving around the assassins and the mess they are in. When he closed his eyes, the faces of his friends flashed behind his eyelids. A gentle reminder of his heart why he had taken all this risk to come here. Soon, the International Beyblade Cup would come into talk. The best bladers in the world would come to play and everything, simply everything will fall into chaos. The morning siren blared against the speaker rudely waking up each blader from their beds. Shu sat down almost instantly, his eyes still half closed squinting at the lights in the room. "I hate this sound", the albino murmured, stepping to the cold floor of his room. It was the same normal routine as before. The morning drills, training with Ethan and getting yelled at for nothing. Shu hadn't even gotten to meet Liam the whole day and Shu already missed him. He was the only one who constantly checked up on him despite not knowing the blader before they met at the Snakepit. After their little talk that day, the two bladers got significantly closer to each other and Shu liked having Liam around. It made him feel safe.

After a whole day of practice with both Ethan then after dinner with Norman, he got onto his bed and crossed his legs tucking them underneath him. Everything was silent except for a random buzz of the cameras of distorted announcements that flashed through the speakers. Shu contemplated whether he should sleep or train a bit more before sleeping. He wasn't particularly sleepy even though he hadn't slept for long last night. That's when the hiss of his door opening caught his ears. Shu was immediately on his feet, eyes narrowed, ready to leap at any given moment. He had heightened his reflexes through fighting. As Norman often inquired, a good fighted always needed the reflexes of a cat. Shu visibly relaxed seeing Liam entering the room. The elder boy was carrying a brown paper bag in his hand and a matchbox in the other. Shu gave his head a confused tilt watching him closing the door behind. "What's wrong?" Shu asked.

Liam placed the things on his nightstand. "What do you mean?"

"What's that?" Shu asked again, pointing at the paper bag.

Liam stared in surprise. "Shu..." He said in an incredibly disappointed tone that the albino wondered what he might've possibly done for Liam to be so disappointed. "You turned twelve years old today and you're telling me you didn't even remember?"

Oh, right. Shu thought. It was September 23 and his birthday. After the boss's visit everything has been chaotic and he forgot his own birthday. He looked at Liam with a smile, "You remembered?" Honestly, Shu was surprised he did. With training and the lack of time for themselves they tend to forget many trivial things such as birthdays and anniversaries or even national holidays. They barely paid any attention to others either. Shu was happy to see the lavender-eyed boy remembering his birthday. Even when he was living in Beigoma, he rarely celebrated it. Majority didn't know and Valt was not quite good at remembering things. But of course, after the bey club was formed, it changed. They even arranged a surprise party once.

"Of course I did," Liam said, pulling out a chocolate cupcake from the bag. "I couldn't get my hands on a real cake, we'd have to do this."

Shu stared as he pulled out a small pink candle and stuck it on top of the icing mush of the delicacy. He lit up the candle and turned singing happy birthday in the silliest voice he could muster. "Make a wish," Liam said with a smile. Shu just nodded, unable to form words at the surprise. The last thing he expected on his birthday was for him to come in with a cake. Shu blew the candle which went off with one last tiny flicker.

"Thank you" Shu muttered. His crimson eyes darted along the small cupcake and back into Liam's face. "Really, Thank you"

Liam sat down and patted the side of the bed. Shu followed him and imitated the gesture of the older boy. "Well, how was your day, birthday boy?"

Shu shrugged, taking half of the cupcake Liam offered, "Normal, I guess"

"The last thing you can say about the Snakepit is that it's normal."

Shu snorted, "That's true."

Liam wiped the leftover icing on his finger from a tissue and fussed around his pockets. Shu watched quietly as he pulled out a chain, attached to a charm. A silver charm of five leafed clovers glistening in the white light of the room. "There you go"

Shu carefully picked it from his palm and held it to the light. "You don't have to do this," Liam reached in and ruffled his hair. His lavender eyes held a mixture of sadness and happiness. He was a boy who had lost someone so important to him. Shu was a person who lost someone equally precious to him. They were finding comfort in each other's presence. A little kindness in a time of need is all that takes to bring tears when your heart is wounded with loneliness.

Liam wiped one of the stray tears from Shu's eyes, tapping his fingers against his cheeks softly. "Don't cry, Shu"

Shu shook his head, giving him a watery smile. "I'm sorry. You reminded me of someone. Thank you for this"

"I hope you get all the luck in the world."

Shu smiled, running a finger through the cold surface of the charm. "Yeah, I'd need that."

Liam stood up and stretched, "Time to go. Ethan would come soon checking the rooms."

"Right" Shu jumped to his feet. "One last time, thank you"

Ethan gave him a quick hug, kissing his hair. It was like having the warmth of a sibling after all these years of missing it. "Good night"

"Good night" Shu watched as Liam put on his mask and walked out of the door. He grins to himself, falling back to his bed. It was a nice feeling. To feel like someone actually cares about you. The albino turned off the lights and curled underneath the thin blanket. The speakers still hummed with the same buzz but Shu felt himself slipping into a deep sleep. His heart was filled with a rare sense of optimism that everything would be okay.

Shu didn't know how many hours he slept before a deafening scream jolted him awake. He sat down, confused, a part of him overwhelming with fear. What's happening? Shu listened a bit more. There was no sound. He wondered whether he had imagined the sound but the footsteps and the hushed murmurs in the hallway confirmed his fears. Something was obviously going on. Shu threw off the covers and slipped out from his room. The hallway was flooding with light. Bladers crowding a spot on the hallway. Shu frowned, none of them were wearing masks or even the Snakepit uniforms. It was almost as if for a minute he was back at Raging Bulls again.

Shu pushed away the thoughts and squeezed himself through the crowd to see what was happening. Being small has its own perks sometimes. He pushed through the last person when something wet hit the sole of his bare foot. Shu looked down, his eyes widening in horror. His heart raced as tears sprang inside his eyes. If he could turn back in time, he would've warned him not to go. Just in front of him, in a puddle of blood was Liam. His eyes still opened. But there was no sense of life inside them. 

"Shu" Shu teared his gaze away from the corpse to see Melon, standing a few feets away from him, looking just as horrified.

Shu looked back at Liam, lying on the ground. He was standing in his pool of blood. A knife sticking out from his torso. His head lolled back, a big purple bruise forming in the side of his neck which was pale. His lips parted as a trickle of blood leaked from mouth. He wondered whether this was the same person who left his room just a few hours ago. He looked so alive and in a matter of time, all his life has left his body. The most sickening thought of the situation was that he was killed. He was stabbed to death by someone and he didn't even know. He was sleeping comfortably on his bed with all the happy memories while Liam was struggling to live. Melon clenched his fists, "Who the fuck did this to him?" Everyone fell into a silence under his rage. His eyes were flashing with fury. At that moment, Shu knew he was capable of anything. Melon and Liam were closer than anyone else in here. The rage clouding his mind was filling him with impulse. He won't think twice about murdering anyone at the moment. Shu wondered why he felt so numb. Shouldn't he feel angry like Melon? He couldn't take his eyes off the corpse. Shu knew he should look away, he should just hurt himself by staring more at him but he couldn't. It was like he was charmed. He kept staring.

"What the hell is going on here?" Ethan's voice yelled. Shu raised his eyes to meet his azure hues. They were wild with surprise, "Fuck" He cursed, kneeling beside Liam's corpse. His eyes were soon scanning them, watching them like a hawk, daring to make a move. None of them moved an inch when Theodore and Norman came to the scene. They were all running their hands through their hair, frustrated about the murder.

"It's your fault" Melon talked, barely a whisper until his voice rose. "It's your fucking fault." He screamed at Ethan's face. The elder looked unnerved by his threats.

"It was your choice to come here. Your choice to choose an illegal training facility. This is underground, what did you expect?" His voice was cold. His eyes gazed at him apathetically. He had slipped into his demeanor.

Melon aimed a punch to his face but Ethan dodged swiftly, kicking his shin, making him fall to his knees. "Think before you do something. You'll be kicked out of here." He warned.

Melon groaned in pain. He looked up at him, Shu had never seen that much malice in someone's eyes before. It was hatred in its purest form. "I won't spend a minute more here. It's disgusting. All of you." He looked around, stopped for a fraction of second on Shu's crimson before he dragged his gaze along the rest of the guys.

Ethan shrugged, "Your choice. We don't need someone weak at heart in a place like this."

A hand grabbed Shu's elbow, making him look up. It was Leo, gesturing to him to leave. Shu didn't move, he was frozen to the ground. He didn't even realize he was still standing on Liam's blood. Leo led him out from the crowd and back to his room. His blue eyes lingering on him all the way, concerned and troubled. "Shu" He spoke softly, almost as if he's speaking to a toddler. Shu didn't look up, instead he rushed himself to the bathroom and threw up. Leo was right behind him, rubbing comforting circles across this back, as he heaved. His throat was on fire, his whole mouth tasted like puke. Shu breathed heavily leaning against the bathroom wall.

"Shu" Leo whispered, "Hey, talk to me"

Shu shook his head, curling to himself. He didn't cry, he couldn't cry. Leo kept caressing his locks, Shu was glad to have someone by his side, he didn't want to be alone. It was the reality that made him suffocate. The truth of the dark web, it's sick twisted ways were wrapping around his neck like a snake, choking him. Shu breathed hard, the memories of the past overlapping with Liam's death. The death of the person who was there for him. Who celebrated his birthday with him a few hours ago. It was too confusing, too unrealistic. They were distracted by the sound of the door. Two figures appeared, Ethan and Theodore. Shu couldn't make out his expression under the mask, but the scowl on his lips assured him that something was out of order. This was going against the system, something that wasn't meant to happen.

"Sit down," Ethan said, looking at them. His eyes briefly stopped on Leo.

He did as he was told, not wanting to arouse conflict. Ethan crossed his arms and stood in front of him, looking skeptical. "Liam came to your room a few hours ago, am I correct?"

Shu just nodded, unable to form words. He was still processing the details. His mind didn't allow him to believe Liam was dead, even though the graphic image of him laying on his own puddle of blood was still fresh inside his mind.

"Answers," Ethan said, his voice stern and hard. "Talk"

Shu looked at him, his red eyes filled with anger, "Yes" He spoke, his voice was strained, "He came to my room."

"And why is that?"

"He wanted to-" Shu stopped himself, the images still flashing through his mind. His fingertips rubbing against the cold surface of the four leafed clover. "He wanted to celebrate my birthday with me. So, he stopped by"

Leo looked at him, his gaze was sympathetic but not pitying. Ethan barked out a laugh, but his eyes were not amused. He leaned down to his eye level, "Are you sure that was the case, Red Eye?"

Shu frowned, "There's nothing more to it. That was all"

"Awfully calm after someone you cared about died, huh?"

Anger rushed against his veins. His crimson eyes bore into Ethan's own azure ones. Both gleaming with intensity. "What do you know? Don't act like you have feelings. You're a psycho." Shu was surprised he spoke these words, right at Ethan's face.

Ethan stared at him for a moment longer before standing up, "But what if I am? I'll tear you apart slowly, ripping your skin, fishing out your organs, making sure you'd beg me for death." He stopped, shooting him a look, "I do that for the people who have wronged me, and Lavender Eye has done nothing wrong."

"That's enough" Theodore finally intervened. "The lives of bladers are in danger. We're going to send away the subjects to private training facilities until everything has calmed down" He looked over to Shu, "Pack your things Red Eye. Gold Eye will show you your new training facility"

Shu inhaled sharply, but nodded. Ethan scoffed but didn't say a word. He was powerless against Theodore. Theodore had the upper hand inside the Snake Pit as his alter ego: Asthem. "Yes, sir" Shu answered, watching the other two males leave. He quietly stood up and shoved several clothes into his bag. He wanted to get out of here. The Snake Pit smelled of blood and traces of Liam was everywhere. He was alive inside the Snake Pit. Leo rested his hand on top of Shu's head.

"Be careful, Shu. Please, be careful"

Shu nodded, giving him a small smile. When Gold Eye walked in, he was ready to go. The two didn't talk the entire way to the airport. Shu honestly had no idea where they were going, but he trusted Norman. It didn't occur to him that he would be leaving the country. Norman took their plane tickets and soon they were heading over to America. The place where he ran off. Shu kept his hood down, and stared out the round windows. After hours of travelling, they finally arrived. Norman and Shu stepped to the warm dawn sun rays of America and took a taxi. The ride seemed to take forever and Shu gave up on keeping track on the road until they pulled up beside a small patch of trees. Norman paid the driver and asked him to wait as he guided Shu through the trees to a small wooden cabin in the woods. A bey dish standing nearby. Shu would've been curious and somewhat excited if not for the memories of Liam and his death haunting him at every passing moment. Norman knocked twice, Shu heard shuffled footsteps arriving at the door and a guy opened it. Shu instantly recognized him. Standing in front of him was the world class blader, Free De La Hoya. His dark eyes staring at him but this time they weren't bored, they were gleaming with an intensity. Like he was battling.