Aiden was the "guy with potential" growing up. He was always surrounded by people—friends, teammates, classmates—but never really felt like he fit in. He wasn’t the smartest kid in the room, nor the most popular, but he was always the one people turned to when they needed something done. He’d often be found cracking jokes with his friends, playing pranks, or getting into trouble, yet beneath the bravado was someone who often felt like he was just playing a role.

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School was never Aiden's thing. His grades weren’t bad, but they weren’t anything to brag about either. He spent more time thinking about the weekend or the next soccer game than anything that had to do with textbooks. Despite being well-liked and athletic, there was a part of him that always felt like something was missing, like the pressure to fit a certain mold weighed too heavily on his shoulders.

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After high school, Aiden tried a few different things—short jobs here and there, helping his family out, but it didn’t take long before he started drifting. Without any clear direction, he found himself taking on side gigs that kept him busy and the money flowing, but it was never enough to shake the feeling that he was just stuck.

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Aiden found himself wandering the streets at night more than he would care to admit. He tried to shake the sense of loneliness by meeting new people, hitting up parties, or hanging out with the same old crew, but it never quite filled the void. He didn’t want to think about the future. He didn’t want to think about anything, really, until one day... everything changed.

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On a normal walk home from school, Aiden felt that all too familiar chill in the air, a sensation that made him pause. He had no idea that night would be the beginning of something that would alter the course of his life completely. Maybe it was just another bad decision, or maybe it was fate. Either way, it was too late to turn back now.