The morning mist hung low over the paddy fields, silent witnesses to a young man's dream of a different future.
Azril tightened the worn-out straps of his second-hand backpack.
Taking a deep breath, he turned to gaze one last time at the small wooden house he called home — with its weather-beaten walls, the smell of burning firewood, and the faint sound of his mother calling from the kitchen.
"Azril... don't forget your prayers when you're there. Always remember what your mother and father taught you," her voice had said earlier, filled with love and fear.
His heart twisted painfully.
Outside, his father, with hunched shoulders and calloused hands, was still chopping firewood even though his body was long past its prime.
"I promise, Mak... Abah... I'll change everything for us," Azril whispered under his breath.
With heavy, determined steps, he began his journey to the city — a world he had only seen in blurry television shows or heard about from passing traders.
Azril thought he had been accepted into a prestigious school known for producing successful students.
A school that could be the key to lifting his family and his village from the chains of poverty.
But fate... had other plans.
The city was another world entirely.
Towering skyscrapers scratched the sky, expensive cars zoomed past, and people rushed everywhere, blind to anyone not dressed in suits or designer clothes.
Azril, wearing his simple shirt and weathered shoes, stuck out like a sore thumb.
When he arrived at the massive iron gates of the school, he stared in awe.
The building was grand, almost like a palace. Marble floors, glass towers, golden emblems hanging proudly.
"Is... is this really the place?" he mumbled in disbelief.
He stepped forward, heart pounding, and handed over his documents at the front office — completely unaware that he had walked into the wrong school.
This wasn't just any academy.
It was a notorious institution where the rich and powerful sent their most problematic children — heirs of political dynasties, mafia families, and business empires.
A school where rules were jokes and respect was bought with money, not earned.
And now... a boy from a poor village had just stepped into the lions' den.
First Day:
As Azril entered the classroom, all heads turned toward him.
Watches that cost more than his family's house gleamed on their wrists. Designer jackets and polished shoes lined the room.
And then there was Azril — simple, humble, carrying only pure willpower.
A student with slicked-back hair sneered loudly.
"Hey, look! Who let the farmer in?"
The room exploded with laughter.
Azril felt the heat rising in his chest, but he closed his eyes briefly, remembering his mother's words.
"Stay calm, Azril. You're here to study, not to fight."
He lowered his gaze, quietly making a vow:
No matter what they say, no matter what they do,
I will survive.
I will graduate.
And I will change my life — and theirs.
Even if he had to face the devils themselves.