Author POV

In the heart of a bustling city stood the grand estate of the Nad family, renowned for their sprawling business empire, the Nad Corporation. Mrs. Nad and Mr. Nad had built their fortune from the ground up, and their six eldest sons—Scottins, David, Jay, Collins, James, and Lucas—each held prestigious positions within the company. The two youngest, Raiden and Luna, were still in college, preparing for their own futures.

Luna, the youngest and only daughter, was the cherished jewel of the Nad household. Her laughter filled the halls, and her whims were catered to by her doting family. Her charm and brattiness were tolerated with indulgent smiles, and even her pranks were seen as endearing. Luna knew her place as the family's princess, basking in the affection and protection of her parents and brothers.

Raiden, a year older than Luna, was a stark contrast. From the moment he was born, he had faced the burden of unmet expectations. The family had hoped for a girl and were openly disappointed when Raiden arrived instead. The shadow of this disappointment followed him through his childhood and into his teenage years. Despite his efforts to win their approval, Raiden found himself an outcast within his own home.

His brothers were distant, treating him with cold indifference or outright hostility. His parents, preoccupied with their business and Luna, rarely acknowledged him except to express their dissatisfaction. Raiden bore this treatment with quiet resignation, finding solace in his studies and personal projects. He was a gentle soul, kind and patient, never once retaliating against the scorn he faced.

Luna, though adored by everyone, found Raiden to be a convenient target for her tricks. She knew how to twist situations to appear the victim, and her parents and brothers would scold Raiden without question. Each time, Raiden accepted the blame without protest, understanding that his words would fall on deaf ears.

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The beautiful sound of chirping birds circulated the entire street in broad daylight, and the Nad household was abuzz with activities, everyone was getting ready for their day. Mrs. Nad and Mr. Nad were busy finalizing some last-minute details for the company's board meeting, while Scottins, David, Jay, Collins, James, and Lucas prepared to head to their respective offices at Nad Corporation. Raiden quietly got ready for college, slipping on his backpack and heading for the door. He always walked to Cambridge College, preferring the solitude of the early morning streets.

"Luna, darling, are you ready?" Mrs. Nad called out, her voice echoing through the grand hallway.

"Almost, Mom!" Luna chirped back, adjusting her hair one last time before bounding down the stairs. Scottins and David were waiting by the door, keys in hand, ready to drop her off at college.

Mrs. Nad and Mr. Nad approached Luna with concerned expressions. "Sweetheart, remember to be careful at college," Mr. Nad advised, his tone serious. "Don't trust any strangers."

Luna chuckled, waving off their concerns. "I'll be fine, Dad. Don't worry so much."

Her brothers chimed in, their protectiveness evident. "If any boys try to hit on you or bother you," Scottins began.

"Just report it to one of us," David continued.

"Or go straight to the principal," Jay added, his voice stern.

Luna nodded, her chuckles punctuating their warnings. "I got it, I got it! You all worry too much."

With that, Scottins and David escorted her to the car, the family waving them off as they departed for Cambridge College. As they pulled into the college parking lot, Luna noticed Raiden already there, gathering his books from his locker. She rolled her eyes at the sight of him, her disdain for her older brother apparent.

"Alright, Luna, remember what we said," Scottins reminded her as she stepped out of the car.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it," Luna replied, waving them off as she headed into the building. She barely spared Raiden a glance, focusing instead on greeting her friends who were waiting nearby.

The time flew by rather quickly and it was lunch time now, many students spent thier time at the college's garden, some stayed in the cafeteria and few were in the library, like Raiden who was completing his pending assignments. However Luna, she was in the cafeteria with her friends having lunch.

With continous chatter, the lively college soon was broken by a loud scream along with a gunshot. Suddenly a staff from the college barged into the cafeteria with a panicked look and screamed "Everyone hide! Now! We have a shooter on loose around the college, be safe and hide now!! Get running!!" Panicked screams filled the cafeteria as students scattered and began running in all directions. Luna, her heart beated in abnormal speed, got lost in the chaos, she couldn't keep an eye on her friends who went missing, she began running up the stairs and down a hallway which she wasn't familiar with.

While running, suddenly a hand pulled her wrist into a classroom, she was about to scream when she heard a familiar voice "Wait don't scream, its me, don't make any noise" she heard Raiden behind her, which made her turn around, he had a busted lips and blood ran down his foreheard. Luna gasped at the sight.

"A-are you okay? You didn't get hurt right?" Raiden asked as he looked around Luna for any injuries. "Well I'm okay, but what happened to you? What's with the busted lips and bloody forehead? Is it not painful?" she asked. "I'm good, I was in the library when one of the shooter broke in and well I protected myself and got hurt in the process, but I'm not important. As long as you're not hurt" Raiden said as he then sighed and sat on the floor, soon leaning against the wall. Luna too copied his act.

"H-how many are there?" she asked. "How many what?" Raiden questioned back. "I meant, how many shooter a-are here?" Luna asked again. "I'm not sure, but I just now probably more than two, or just two" he said while wiping off his dripping blood. As Luna nodded, there was a comfortable silence in the room, and it was silent too outside of the room, in the college.

"Will we s-survive this shooting? What if we die?" Luna asked as tears gathered her eyes. Raiden turned to her and caressed her hair, as he answered her, "No Luna, you won't die, not as long as I'm here, no matter what happens, I-I'll never ever abandon you, I'll protect you at all cost and I promise that you'll return to Mom and Dad safe and sound with zero injuries. I promise." Luna finally allowed her tears her wash down her cheeks as she heard Raiden. A big fat guilt tightened her chest as she recalled the times when she'll purposefully push Raiden into huge trouble and victimise herself just so Mrs. Nad or Mr. Nad or either one of her older brothers would scold Raiden.

"Promise me that you---you'll also return. Both of us will go to Mom and Dad after cops safe us from here." Luna spoke as she hicupped, Raiden chuckled and nodded his head. "I-I'm really sorry Raiden, for those time when I got you in huge trouble that you weren't even involve in. I didn't hate you at all, but I--I was just like that when I grew up. I'm really sorry" Luna began sobbing as she hugged Raiden who hugged back and comforted her. "Don't worry, we'll get home safe and sound, I promise" Raiden spoke but he stopped himself after hearing multiple footsteps outside the classroom with some whispered chatters. Raiden immediately turned to his sister and said, "Look, I never had any grudges against you or anyone in the house, in fact, I loved all of you guys despite being ill treated" he spoke in a quick manner. Luna had tears running down her eyes as she stared at Raiden who kept looking at the classroom's slightly tinted window and saw figures walking left and right, it was the shooters.

"L-Luna, I think we should move, just carefully" Raiden said as he got into a squatting position to squat towards the main door of the classroom, "Why? Why? Why? Raiden I think we're safe in here" Luna whispered back. "No Luna, the shooters might barge in here and we could get caught any seconds." Raiden said. "Please, lets not move and wait here for 30 minutes. The cops will get ahold of them in no time." Luna begged, she feared of getting shot. Raiden didn't want to argue back so he nodded and stayed in a corner with Luna.

Minutes passed and both Luna and Raiden got startled by sudden loud shouts at the college's ground floor and they clearly heard "Police department", Luna cried in tears of relief. Raiden did too, he felt like heavy weights are lifted off his chest. "We can go out now, I think" Luna said. "No we have to wait for the cops, what if the shooters are still around this level. Lets wait" he suggested. "Every minute staying in this classroom, just gives me nightmare, please lets leave and go to the cops down" Luna gripped Raiden's hand tightly, she's really scared and Raiden could tell that. He knew if he talks back then she wouldn't listen.

After nodding, Raiden stood up and held Luna's hand tightly, "Listen, no matter what happens, just listen to me and hold my hand tightly, if I say let go, then you must." he warned her, and soon both of them slowly approach the door, yells and footsteps were getting louder. As soon as Raiden stepped his foot out, gunshots blared, and Raiden felt bullets piercing his chest, shoulder and everywhere on his body, his hand which was holding Luna's, he pushed her in the classroom and he fell on the floor bleeding non-stop. Luna was traumatised of what she witnessed, she wasn't able to step her foot out when Raiden pushed her in the classroom and she fell on her butt just like Raiden, but the difference was, he's bleeding and she wasn't.

"R-raiden? Th-this has to be a joke" Luna whispered to herself in pure shock. "Who is he?! Why did you shoot him?!" Luna flinched when she heard a shout, she soon scrambled up on her feet and rushed to hide in a corner. "I thought he was the police" another male spoke. "Uhg fuck you mate! The police are already in the college, we have to escape now! Let's just hide this guy somewhere and run." she then heard few shuffling before full-on sprinting.

After waiting for few seconds, Luna stepped out of the classroom and saw a trail of blood leading to somewhere, "Raiden" she whispered to herself, and just as she was about to follow the trail, "On the ground now! Get on your stomach now!!" she heard cops behind her. Turning around, she was at gunpoint by few officers with SWAT members. "N-no, I am not one of the shooters, M-me and my brother were hiding from them i-in the classroom, p-please help my brother please, he got shot, look a-at the blood, they d-dragged him somewhere. P-please find him and get him me-medical attention as s-soon as possible" Luna broke down infront of the officers who lowered their gun and slowly took cautious steps towards Luna.

"What's your name?" one of the officer questioned. "I'm Luna, m-my brother's name is Raiden. Officer, please be quick, I-I don't want him to die." Luna begged. "Are the blood trails, his?" another questioned, and after earning continues nods from Luna, the officers sighed and called for a paramedic through their walkie-talkie. "Are you injured ma'am?" an officer asked. "No sir, I'm not injured." she replied. "Okay, so we called for a paramedic, and the shooters are still on run, so we need to escort you out safely first and we'll get your brother out." another officer approached Luna. "Ca-can I be here, wi-with him?" Luna asked as tears gathered her eyes. "I'm afraid, I can't do that ma'am, we thought we had escorted all the students out safely, but now that you're saying your brother got shot, he might be the only student who got injured here. So as we need to make sure your safety, please follow us out, we'll get your brother out too" the officer spoke in a more stern voice, Luna nodded and glanced the pool of blood before she was escorted out by the cops, outside of the college where she saw a huge crowd of parents crying while hugging their kids. There were helicopter cop flying up, many SWAT vans, along with multitudinous cop cars, Luna's eyes however scanned around the area, she was expecting someone.

"Luna! My baby!!!" Luna looked to her side where the yell came from, her eyes once again glistened in tears after seeing her parents and brothers rushing towards her and hugging the life out of her. "Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay darling!" Mr. Nad caressed Luna's hair.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Jay asked as concern laced his voice, "N-no, I'm okay, but Raiden---" Luna stopped herself as everyone's attention were brought to the entrance of the college, where many doctors huddled with medical props while an ambulance was ready. Luna's breath staggered as she saw, the cops who escorted her out earlier, had Raiden on a stretcher and rolled him out towards the doctors who tore his t-shirt, used the stethoscope on him, and then checked his blood pressure, before performing defibrillator on him.

"Wh-what---...No...Luna, there's n-no way" Mrs. Nad couldn't finish her sentence when Luna nodded as she started crying. "He----he got shot?" James stuttered as he felt his own heartbeat palpitating wildly. "It-It's all my fault! H-he told me to wait, but I was stubborn, if I waited for few more minutes then he wouldn't have gotten shot" Luna sobbed as she fell on her knees, the sight of her brother getting shot multiple time and the pool of blood, traumatised her.

"We're losing him! Increase the power!!" the doctor who was performing the defibrillator on Raiden shouted. Mrs. Nad's breath staggered as tears poured down her eyes, it was hard to believe that one of her child, that too, the one which was treated badly and despised by them, protected one of them, and is now lying on a stretcher unresponsive. "No no no no no Raiden!" Without wasting any more seconds, Mrs.  Nad dashed towards her unresponsive son, Mr. Nad and the others ran after her who got blocked by the cops.

"No! That's my son! Let me go to him! Please!!" she screamed bringing more tears to her family members who were trying to calm her down. "Ma'am, stand back! Paramedics are doing their job!" A cop yelled. "Baby, just calm down, our son is a fighter, he won't leave us" Mr. Nad held Mrs. Nad back who stopped struggling and watched the doctors performing the defibrillator on Raiden.

"Ho-how did he get shot, Luna?" Jay asked with a trembling voice. "We--we were hiding in a classroom, and I--I heard the cops, so I told him we can go down to the cops, but h--he refused, I--I forced him to, a-and when we he left the classroom, the shooters sh-shot him. A-a lot of gunshots, I was scared, I felt guilty, If--If only I wasn't s-stubborn" Luna cried, she