Jeremy stood before the mirror, adjusting the clothes James had gifted him. The fabric was soft and well-fitted, a perfect contrast to the bruises and scars still faintly visible on his face. He took a deep breath, clearing his mind of the chaos from earlier. It had been a long, exhausting day, but it wasn’t over yet.
He boarded a drop car that would take him to meet Jessica. His heart was heavier than usual—weighted by the events of the day and the revelations that had unfolded. As the car hummed along the road, Jeremy’s thoughts drifted. Could he really continue down this path? Did he even have a choice?When the car pulled to a stop, Jeremy stepped out and immediately spotted Jessica stepping out of her sleek purple car. She wore a stunning dress that accentuated her elegance, but her playful smile faltered when she saw him."Sheesh, Jeremy, didn’t know you preferred this look." Jessica teased at first, but her eyes darkened when she noticed the marks oJeremy came to a halt as soon as he reached the door of his home, his mind spinning with everything that had happened in the last few hours. His hand raised almost on its own, knocking twice out of habit before he slowly opened the door. The house was quiet, still, but not in a peaceful way—it felt like the calm before a storm. The first thing he saw was his mother—Sophie. She was standing near the door, her hand just retreating from the knob as if she’d been waiting for him. "Have you been standing here all day?" Jeremy asked, his voice low but filled with exhaustion. Sophie shook her head quickly, though her expression gave away her unease. "No, I just came here a few minutes ago... I thought... well, I thought you might need someone to talk to when you got back." "Mum..." Jeremy stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders gently, trying to ground her—and maybe himself too. "Let’s just pretend nothing happened today, okay?" Sophie blinked, confusion flashing across her f
Jeremy crashed onto his bed, lying face down as the weight of the day finally broke him. Tears began to silently fall, streaking his face as his body shook with suppressed sobs. He had worn the mask of strength all day—had to, for everyone around him. But now, in the quiet solitude of his room, his weakness was laid bare. Inside, he felt fractured, fragile."Who am I?" he whispered to the empty room, rolling onto his side, eyes fixated on nothing.The more he tried to push away the chaos in his mind, the more his thoughts seemed to spiral. Vengeance was growing inside him, a dark force swirling in the pit of his chest. The anger felt like a living thing, something he couldn't ignore any longer."Relax..." he muttered to himself, trying to stay calm.But it was impossible to silence the storm inside him. He could no longer deny it: Burke was a part of this mess. Burke had known the truth, or at least parts of it, and had planned to use Jeremy for his own gains. Jeremy had no doubt now
“Is this what it takes?” Jeremy thought, his consciousness slipping in and out of focus.And then, as abruptly as it had begun, the agony ceased. Darkness overtook him, blinding and cold, like plunging into a frozen abyss. For a moment, Jeremy thought he might have died, the pain too much for his body to endure.Then, in a flash, his eyes snapped open.The ground beneath him trembled as though the entire world acknowledged his transformation. The room he stood in—an ancient, abandoned castle with crumbling walls and forgotten tapestries—seemed to pulse with life in response to his awakening. The air thickened, oppressive, as if the very atmosphere had weight. Jeremy felt it all, a strange awareness flowing through him that he had never experienced before.He didn’t realize it yet, but his left eye now glowed an ominous red, while his right shimmered with a piercing yellow. His breath came in ragged gasps, and for the first time in what felt like y
Jeremy stayed home the next day, the weight of everything that had transpired settling heavily on his shoulders. He refused to go to school, his thoughts consumed by the upcoming reunion. Beside him, Sophie sat quietly, her eyes distant as they waited for Celicia’s return. The house was tense, brimming with emotions yet unspoken, and Jeremy wasn’t sure how he’d face the next few hours.By the afternoon, the sound of tires crunching gravel outside announced Celicia’s arrival. A sleek car parked in front of the house, and Jeremy could see Celicia through the window. She stepped out, her expression conflicted—confused, lost, and hurt. Jeremy could see it all in her eyes, in the way her shoulders slumped as though the weight of the world had been dropped onto her back.Sophie stood at the door, waiting with nervous energy radiating off her. There was a pause, a long, silent moment where Celicia just stood there, staring at Sophie. Then, as if the dam had finally broken
That evening, Jeremy sat down with Celicia and Sophie, his face drawn with a mixture of determination and sadness. He knew they deserved the truth—all of it.“I need to tell you everything,” he began, his voice low but steady. “About our past… our struggles. About Burke, the uncle who betrayed us. And about how I survived.”Celicia, already broken by the revelations of the previous day, sat quietly beside Sophie, listening as Jeremy told the story of their family’s dark past. He explained how, after their father’s death, Burke had swooped in, not to help, but to use them, pulling strings behind the scenes for his own gain.Then Jeremy told them about how he grew strong—how he had joined a hunting guild, learning to fight, learning to survive. He spoke of his journey to becoming someone who could stand against the darkness of their world, someone who could take on men like Burke.When Jeremy talked about his birthday, the day everything changed—th
As the final bell rang, Jeremy and Celicia walked together through the gates of the school. The whispers and curious glances from other students followed them, but Jeremy didn’t care. Today, things had changed, and they both knew it.Reaching the outer gate, Jeremy stepped forward to flag down a public transport vehicle for Celicia. This would be her first time riding public transport, a stark contrast to the luxury she had grown accustomed to. Gone were the days of being chauffeured by private escorts.The car pulled up, and Jeremy opened the door for her.“What about you, Jeremy?” Celicia asked, her eyes wide and uncertain as she glanced at the car. "Aren’t you coming with me?"Jeremy smiled gently, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about me, sister. I prefer to walk home. It clears my head. Rejuvenates me.” His words were calm, but he could see the hesitation in her eyes.“Then I’ll walk too,” she insisted, taking a step back from the car
"Russ!" Jeremy shouted as he descended into the chamber, spinning in mid-air before spreading his arms wide. His tone was mocking, dripping with sarcasm. "I didn't know you were such a coward."Russ snarled, his eyes dark and menacing. "Idiot," he growled, his voice laced with contempt as he mimicked Jeremy. "Today, you meet your end."Jeremy landed hard, the force of his descent forming a small crater beneath his feet. The air between them was thick with tension, their gazes locked in a dangerous dance.“So,” Jeremy spoke, his voice low and calm, though his body was coiled like a spring ready to strike. “You were working as an insider, feeding information to the Dark Guild for him?” His words were a sharp accusation, but he didn’t wait for an answer.In a flash, Jeremy charged violently at Russ, his dagger glinting in the dim light of the chamber.Russ smirked, his muscles tensing as he raised his spiked mace. "Little bastard, you have n
Jeremy walked home, his thoughts still swirling from the confrontation with Burke and the violent exchange with Russ. His body ached from the fight, but his mind was elsewhere. As he reached his room, a faint memory surfaced—the package Jessica had gifted him on his birthday. In the chaos of everything, he had forgotten all about it.Curiosity tugged at him. Pulling the box from a drawer, he carefully unwrapped it, revealing its contents—a small set of glowing runestones. He blinked in surprise. The stones pulsed with a soft, ethereal light, unlike anything he had seen before. Runestones weren’t commonly used. They were rare, expensive, and required deep knowledge to activate, and even fewer people pursued the path of cultivation to harness their true potential.“Why did Jessica give me this?” he wondered aloud. It was an unusual gift, but now, with the events unfolding in his life, it seemed like exactly what he needed.Without hesitating, Jeremy pulled o