The Monstrous Hero

"Hey, Liu!"

The voice barely registered.

Liu Xian sat at his desk, eyes unfocused, staring at something that wasn't there. He wasn't asleep, but he wasn't really awake either—lost somewhere in between, where time didn't feel real, and everything was just... distant.

"Liu Xian, answer me, you idiot!"

A sharp slap across the back of his head yanked him out of it.

"Huh?!"

He blinked rapidly, his head snapping up as the dull chatter of the classroom came rushing back in. The shitty fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, washing everything in that sickly yellow glow. The smell of cheap instant noodles, sweat, and cigarette smoke clung to the humid air.

Across from him, Zhou Wei, his classmate, sat with his arms crossed, glaring at him. "What the hell were you thinking? That's why you never keep a lookout properly," he scolded, clicking his tongue. "If that asshole teacher caught us, we would be screwed."

Liu Xian didn't respond. He didn't even know what they were talking about. Keep a lookout for what? He barely remembered walking into school that morning.

But before he could piece anything together, another voice chimed in.

"Hey," Chen drawled, lazily leaning against the cracked wall of their classroom. A cigarette dangled between his lips, the end glowing faintly as he took a slow drag. He exhaled, smoke curling into the air. "Don't forget he's cursed. I don't want you getting zapped or some shit."

The others laughed.

"Yeah, shit," Zhou Wei snorted. "But Liu Xian won't hurt us. We're his friends, right?"

Liu Xian barely had time to react before Zhou Wei grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head up. Pain shot through his scalp, but he didn't fight back. He never did.

"You won't kill us like you killed your mother, right?" Zhou Wei sneered, his breath reeking of cheap candy and cigarettes.

More laughter.

Liu Xian forced himself to stay still, his hands tightening into fists under the desk.

Zhou Wei held his grip for a second longer before finally letting go with a scoff, shoving Liu Xian's head back down like he was some stray dog.

"See? He won't do shit."

"Like always," Chen Tao added with a smirk, flicking ash onto the floor.

The conversation shifted, the group moving on to some stupid joke about a girl in their class. Liu Xian just sat there, head down, staring at the worn-out desk beneath his hands.

Cursed.

That's what everyone said he was. A freak. A monster. A walking bad omen.

His mother was electrocuted to dead while giving birth to him. That was proof enough.

His father had made sure everyone knew that.

"Because of you, she's gone."

"Because of you, my life is ruined."

"Because of you—"

It was always because of him.

Even now, with every bruise, every scar, every whispered rumor, the world never let him forget.

The bell rang.

Students groaned, shoving books into bags, dragging their feet as they shuffled out of the classroom.

Liu Xian stayed still.

"Come on, freak," Zhou Wei called over his shoulder. "Lunch break's only so long. Don't make us wait."

Liu Xian slowly got up, following behind them.

Outside, the schoolyard was filled with noise—students yelling, laughing, fighting over food. The sky was dull and gray, the air thick with the promise of rain.

They made their way toward their usual spot behind the gym, where the teachers rarely patrolled. A place where the school's forgotten garbage bins overflowed, and the smell of damp cardboard and cigarette smoke always lingered.

"Yo, who's got a lighter?" Chen Tao asked, pulling another cigarette from his pocket.

"Here," Zhou Wei tossed one over.

A quick flick. A flame. Smoke curled into the air.

Liu Xian stood there, hands in his pockets, staring at the ground.

He felt a nudge against his shoulder.

"You're quiet today," Chen Tao said, taking a slow drag. "More than usual."

Liu Xian shrugged.

"Did Daddy Dearest go extra hard on you last night?" Zhou Wei mocked, grinning.

The laughter that followed was casual.

Liu Xian didn't answer.

Did it even matter if he did?

He knew how this game worked. They pushed. They poked. They wanted a reaction. If he gave them nothing, eventually, they would get bored.

And that's exactly what happened.

The conversation shifted again. This time to someone's stolen test answers. Then to some girl's skirt being too short. Then to some kid getting beat up outside of school.

Violence. Lies. More cruelty.

The usual.

And Liu Xian just stood there, existing in the space between them. Never really part of the group, but never fully apart from it either.

Not a friend. Not an enemy.

Just there.

Like a ghost.

The rain started falling again, light at first, then heavier.

None of them moved.

Liu Xian tilted his head back, letting the cold drops hit his face.

Somewhere in the distance, a teacher's voice shouted at students to get inside. Somewhere else, someone was laughing, carefree, untouched by the kind of world he lived in.

And for a brief second, Liu Xian wondered—

What would it feel like to be someone else?

Someone who wasn't him?

Someone who wasn't cursed?

He closed his eyes.

Just for a moment.

"Liu, you spacing out again?" Zhou Wei's voice yanked him back.

Liu Xian opened his eyes, blinking away the raindrops clinging to his lashes.

The others were looking at him, half amused, half expectant.

He forced a small smirk. "Yeah. Thinking about how fucking ugly you are."

He received a hard punch on the face.

"Why did I even say that?"