Aiden sat alone on his couch, his eyes blankly staring ahead. His frustration had been building for days, and it had finally reached its boiling point. Without warning, he picked up an empty glass cup and threw it across the living area, shattering it into a million pieces.The sound echoed through the house, causing the servants inside to look curiously at their master. Aiden didn't care; he was too consumed by his anger to worry about their opinions.The door opened, and Raymond stepped forward, wearing black leather gloves over his hands. The other hand held a briefcase wrapped securely under his arm.Looking down at the broken shards scattered along the carpet, he walked closer and kicked on a shard sticking halfway out of the wood frame beneath the coffee table. It snapped free, easily falling apart into two pieces."What a temper you got there, young lad!" said Raymond, his tone light-hearted.Aiden's eyes flickered towards Raymond before returning to his blank stare, "Why should

The man turned towards him and said, "It's going to happen tonight."Aiden was confused and asked, "Tonight? What's going on tonight?"The man looked at him as if he were crazy and then explained, "The ceremony. The one that happens once a year."Aiden nodded, pretending to understand, and then walked away. He couldn't help but feel intrigued by the strange behavior of the people and decided to stay and observe.As the day turned into night, the crowd started to grow larger, and the chanting got louder. Aiden could feel the energy building up in the air, and he wondered what was going to happen next.Suddenly, a woman with a painted face approached him and said, "you look lost. Can I help you?"Aiden looked at her, surprised by her kindness, and said, "sure?"The woman smiled and said, "This is the Night of the gods. It's a celebration that honors the ancient mythical creatures that once roamed our lands. We gather here every year to pay our respects and to offer them gifts."[Would yo

Lyris' eyes gleamed with intensity as she gazed at Aiden, her words carrying an air of mystery and intrigue. [Rydel was a wise man, Aiden. He understood the value of the system and used it to his advantage. But that is not all he did. Your father was a key player in the realm, and he was caught in situations beyond his control.]Aiden's mind raced as he struggled to comprehend the gravity of Lyris' revelation. His father, a key player in the other realm? It was all too much to take in. "Why are you telling me this?" Aiden asked, his voice trembling slightly.Lyris smiled enigmatically, her words laced with purpose. [Because, host, you have a part to play in all of this. Your destiny is intertwined with the realm, and it is time for you to embrace it.]Aiden's shock quickly turned to guilt as he looked down at the bedsheet, feeling as though he had committed a crime. In a rush, he picked up his phone and dialed the only number he knew had a connection to all of this, but his calls to th

Dressed casually yet elegantly, Aiden walks toward Ace restaurant located right next to Sanders park overlooking a lake.He looks above, marveling at the creeping vines that wrap around trees like long tendrils reaching across branches—a beautiful sight against blue skies dotted with white clouds drifting lazily overhead. The air smells fresh despite being mid-morning; birds chirping happily among tall grasses swaying gently under gentle breezes blowing through open windows along both sides of the street.He adjusts and opens a button, then takes another step forward towards the building made entirely out of brick red stone walls surrounding its large front porch complete with columns holding up arched entryways leading inside. The sign hanging over one doorway reads "Ace Restaurant." It has two floors: ground level consisting mostly of tables lining either side facing outside seating areas near the sidewalk, plus some booths lined down the middle between rows upon rows of wine bott

"No comment," Aiden responds casually.She smirks knowingly saying, "then why do I feel differently tonight? It feels good having dinner with somebody other than myself these days. And besides, don't worry; whatever happened yesterday won't affect anything moving forward. We'll continue doing business as usual."With a smile, Aiden nods agreeing with everything said thus far. His mind wanders off momentarily thinking over various possibilities regarding his future. Zin gestures to his plate, indicating for him to take the first taste.Seeing the floating digits of the prize it was worth paying attention to its value: $7000. 'Why the fuck did I eat this so comfortably in the past?' He asks himself while struggling to pick up the knife and have a slice of the meat. Unable to go through with it, he gets to his feet and walks to a random man sitting nearby. He takes a glance at the man's features briefly noticing he has dark hair cut short along with piercing grayish-brown eyes. Stan