The grand estate, usually bustling with activity, was eerily silent. I woke up in my bed, the clock tower striking two in the morning, but something felt wrong. As the youngest member of the family, I was accustomed to the maids checking on me, but tonight, there was no response to my calls. A sense of dread washed over me as I opened my bedroom door and peered out into the empty hallway. No guards, no maids, no family members—it was as if everyone had vanished into thin air.
I walked down the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest. The usual bustle of the estate was replaced by an oppressive silence. I opened the doors to other bedrooms, but they were all empty. Even the family's contracted beasts were nowhere to be found. My anxiety grew as I made my way to my parents' room. The bed was still warm, but they were nowhere in sight. Why would everyone leave so suddenly, and without me?
I decided to head to the gathering hall, the only place I could think of where everyone might have gathered on short notice. A shiver ran up my spine as I felt eyes on me, but I saw no one. I quickened my pace, my heart racing. My grandfather's room was near the gathering hall, and he was my last hope. He was always there, unless in an emergency. He was the strongest person I knew, and the only one who could help.
As I approached the gathering hall, I saw that the massive oak doors were damaged, as if something had kicked them open with immense force. Each door weighed 2500 pounds, so it would take enormous strength to break them open. I cautiously entered the hall, my eyes wide with fear. The hall was vast and imposing, and I had only been here on rare occasions. The doors on the other side were open, but something felt off.
I started to think about taking the long way around, but as I turned, I saw a man in the doorway. He was shrouded in a black cloak, his bright red eyes piercing through the darkness. The doors closed behind him, trapping me inside. I had a bad feeling and started running to the other side of the hall as fast as possible. The man didn't chase me; instead, he sent two shadow wolves after me. They were much faster, but I had a head start.
The man smiled as he watched me run, enjoying the hunt. I had only made it halfway when the wolves caught up to me. One attacked, shredding the back of my shirt with its sharp claws, leaving four claw marks on my back. Black smoke from the beasts filled each mark, burning like fire. The other wolf was about to finish me off when it suddenly stopped. Both wolves looked in one direction, as if hearing something, and soon I could hear it too—screams of pain.
I was scared but knew I couldn't stay there like a sitting duck. I got back up and started running for the opened doors. The man noticed me running and went to chase me himself, but he stopped, putting his hand to his ear. He must have been wearing an earpiece. He was obviously annoyed and angry. He turned to leave but told his beasts to finish me off. They were back on the hunt, and I was their prey.
I ran as fast as possible, but they were hot on my tail. I saw my grandfather's room up ahead, but the black smoke beasts were right behind me. Grandpa's door was open, and I ran in, shutting the door behind me. A seal was activated, keeping the beasts on the other side. I slid down the door, breathing a sigh of relief. But my relief was short-lived as I looked around the room. The back wall had a huge hole, half of the walls were burnt, and all the furniture was destroyed.
I got up off the ground, now more scared than ever. What could have caused this? I looked out the hole and immediately regretted it. Scattered across the ground outside were hundreds of dead bodies. Some I recognized, including my grandfather, who was in a deep hole in the ground with a hole in his chest. I stepped back in horror, trying to get that scene out of my head. But when I turned around, another person in the same outfit as the last was there. This one was closer to my size and had blue eyes that sparkled. A mask hid her face.
I looked at her, and soon my head started to feel heavy as I fell to the ground. My eyes couldn't stay open any longer as I passed out. I couldn't see anything. I tried to move but couldn't. I tried to remember, but all I could see was that mask. I felt pain in my back, like someone pushing down on scars. I heard a voice that day, but what did she say? I tried to remember, but all I could hear was, "Get up. Get up. Get up!"
I was jolted awake as my friend and coworker Aron shook me vigorously. "Wake up!" he exclaimed. I groaned, "I'm awake." I realized I was sleeping on my desk again after an all-nighter. "What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. Aron scoffed, "It's twelve thirty in the morning. An hour before the deadline. Did you finish that assessment?" I handed him the papers, "Yes, I finished it at eight."
Aron grabbed the papers and got ready to leave. He turned back to me, "Hey! Can you grab us some lunch? And maybe a few beers." I shook my head, "You're a man whose research is about how to advance the human mind, yet you kill yours with alcohol." Aron chuckled, "At least it helps me to calm down. Owe, and Theodore, good work, as always." With that, he left the room.
I got up and stretched, thinking about the dream, though it was more like a memory. I entered the bathroom to change and saw the four black scars on my back in the mirror. I put on some casual clothes and headed out to the store. We had just finished a big project, so I decided to grab something for lunch. I entered a small store, the only one within walking distance of the lab. The lady who runs it is nice and gives us discounts for being constant customers.
Miss Dovon walked out of the back room, "Hello Miss Dovon, it's a nice morning, isn't it?" I said with a smile. She looked at me, "Hello Theo, another late night?" I scratched the back of my head, "You know me." I laughed slightly. "But we finally finished our biggest project last night, so I was planning to splurge on food for the team." Miss Dovon shook her head, "You boys work too hard, you should go home and get some rest. You're practically my only customer. If something happened to you, I'd lose most of my income."
I smirked, "Still always worried about money as usual. Good to see you never change." Another girl came from the back room holding a box of items. She was tall, with blue eyes that sparkled and crimson red hair with a dyed blue streak. She was wearing normal clothes but had an expensive-looking bracelet and necklace on. She smiled as she spotted me. "Hello Rouse, nice to see you as always." I hugged her back, "It has been a week and a half since you last came in. I was worried."
We talked for a bit before I started to grab the things I needed, including ingredients for potato soup. "Well, I had better go start up some food before the boys get too hungry." They both said their goodbyes as I headed back to the lab. A little while later, I finished the food and got ready to head back to my place. I hadn't been back there in over a month and was looking forward to a shower.
Aron walked up to me, seemingly annoyed. "What's the matter?" I asked. He scratched his head, "The boss wants us to do one last overview of the new drug. Even though it's not out of the testing phase. He told me the investors want the overview by Wednesday, or they'll pull out their funding." I was hoping for the week off, but we'll need to speed up the trials for it, which means one person running the tests and one looking over the effects, which can be done remotely. I have to do the testing, but that still means one of you needs to write the overview and then bring it back here on the deadline." The others listening in all groaned at this.
I volunteered, "I'll do it. I work the fastest anyway. Just send the results to my house computer." Aron patted me on the back, "Thanks. Again, this is really a great help. I'll get those to you as soon as possible." With that, I headed home, arriving at sunset. As soon as I entered, I felt a fist hit the back of my head. "Oww! What was that for?" I exclaimed, rubbing the back of my head.
A girl with jet-black hair, golden eyes, and wearing a baggy black shirt with short shorts stood in front of me with her fist still raised. "You've been gone for over a month!" she said in an authoritative tone. "I thought I told you not to overwork yourself again. I was almost tempted to go to your lab and drag you back!" She was definitely pissed off.
"The pain finally went away, that hurt!" I said, still rubbing my head. "Why are you like this, sis? I told you before I left it would probably be a long project. We had to test three new drugs and had one added on at the end. We had to work overtime just to get it done so soon." It didn't seem to calm her rage, but she did lower her fist. She put her fingers on her forehead as she shook her head. "I don't understand why you even bother working. Big Brother sends us money each month. And it's not like it's a small amount. He makes millions a month. So he's not stressing either. I get wanting to earn your own, but why something so taxing?"
I shook my head, "It's not that. It's just... I want to help people with the medicine I make. Like grandpa did." She looked at my back, knowing about the scars. The black smoke that had entered my body that day stops me from using my Qi, which is needed to cultivate and make alixer pills. No matter who we saw or asked, no one could fix it. All we know is the person who did it was extremely strong. If I was a cultivator when it happened, it would have killed me or anyone without legendary energy. He had to be a Nascent Soul Stage. No other being could do it. Meaning I'm stuck as a ordinary man. Unable to follow in my grandfather's footsteps.
Rebekah spoke up, "I know how you feel. He was both of our grandpa's. He was kind and gentle, but also powerful and smart. And loved to help. We all looked up to him. But still, you need to rest more. Right now, focus on what you can do. You aren't him, find your own way to help instead of beating yourself up about not being able to cultivate. Besides, grandpa was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, most people would never reach his level in one hundred thousand years. So even if you could cultivate, you probably wouldn't reach his level. He was one in ten million. You can continue working, just get more rest, and take a shower. You smell."
I nodded my head and walked to my room, feeling a mix of determination and exhaustion. The events of the night and the memories of my past were a heavy burden, but I knew I had to keep moving forward. For my grandfather, for my family, and for myself.