Fury of the Forgotten

Diabolic Plans

Kadmiel stood at the entrance of the house, taking in everything the estate environment had to offer, no matter how little it seemed. 

  Phoenix stood staring at him from a distance. She felt pity for him after everything he had been through. 

  The flames still smouldered in the east wing of the estate, the sharp and bitter smell of burnt wood lingering in the air.    

  Kadmiel stood at the edge of the ruins, his jaw clenched as his eyes scanned the destruction that was before him

  The fire had seemed little, but it had done a whole lot of damage on the house and also to Kadmiel’s emotional state, memories of his young days played in his head. 

   His hands curled into fists as memories of his childhood home flashed before him, now corrupted by the inferno that had devoured parts of it. 

  Beside him, Kelita’s small frame trembled, though she refused to let the tears fall.

  “I tried to stop him,I begged him…..” Bartholomew, the butler, muttered weakly, his old voice filled with guilt. He stood behind them, hands shaking as he wiped sweat from his brow. 

   "I begged him, but... I failed."

  “It’s not your fault,” Kadmiel responded, his voice tight with fury. “Lincoln will pay, the little I have done to him is not enough. He deserves to suffer more, and trust me,he will. He and his men and everybody who has caused I and my family pain. They will all pay. They will beg for death, but death will not come for them.”

   The words hung heavy in the air, laced with venom. He had had his sister watch his parents’ lives be snuffed out, had seen his sister nearly sold off like livestock, and now this, the very foundation of his family, the estate, was in ruins. He was unsure if he had any other thing to cling onto that belonged to his family. 

   This was more than just revenge. It was justice, and Kadmiel was going to deliver it.

   Kelita glanced at her brother, concern written all over her beautiful face.

    “Bro... There's something more important right now. Leah, remember what I told you. You said you would go see her. You need to go see her. 

   She gave birth to your children, she must so miss you right now.”Kadmiel’s mind raced. 

  For years, Leah had been nothing more than a fleeting memory, a reminder of a night that had spun his life into chaos. 

   But now, the thought of those children, his children, gnawed at him. He could not let them suffer because of his past, no matter the war that still raged around him. He was prepared to make sure they never have to go through what he is going through. 

   He took a deep breath and nodded. “You are right, Kelita. It is time.”

   Meanwhile, across the city, in a lavish and exquisite mansion, the Smith family gathered in their sprawling parlor.    

  The air buzzed with tension as their youngest brother, Evan, burst into the room, his face flushed with panic.

  “Kadmiel,” Evan spat, slamming a fist onto the table. “He is the one who killed him. One of our own, dead because of that foolish bastard.”

   The head of the family, a man with a sharp jawline and colder eyes, leaned back in his chair, unfazed by his brother’s outburst. 

   He exhaled deeply, as though the news was more of an inconvenience than a loss.

  “So, the bastard is still alive after all….all these years, I thought the son of a bitch would be dead now,” the head muttered, twirling a glass of wine. He took a sip and continued. 

  “I thought the men we sent to the estate might have taken care of him. But it does not matter. He is on borrowed time.”

  Evan blinked, confused. “We are just going to sit here? He killed one of us. Are we not retaliating? We are really going to let him get away with that?”

  The head’s lips twisted into a cruel smile. “We will retaliate, but not just yet. I have a better plan. 

  We will ridicule him and his God forsaken image, we would wound his pride, and when he is most vulnerable, that is when we strike. 

   Spread the word, his girl ....what is her name again, Leah, his beloved girlfriend is getting married to one of our own.”

   Evan’s eyes lit up with understanding. “You mean…”

   “Yes,” the head replied, his voice as sharp as the gleaming blade he toyed with in his hand. 

   “And then, when the moment’s right, Kadmiel will die. By my hand, I will put more plans in place to make this happen.”

  The ride to Leah’s neighbourhood was long and tiring, with the scenery growing more dilapidated as they approached. 

   Kadmiel frowned at the crumbling streets and buildings, wondering how she could have ended up here, of all places. 

   He knew her parents had turned her away after she refused to accept compensation for the pregnancy, from what Kelita had told him, but this?

   It was worse than he had imagined. Kelita, seated beside him, broke the silence. As if reading his thoughts. 

  “She has been through a lot, Kadmiel. You should not judge her for where she ended up.

    She has done everything to raise those children, on her own, you know the life of a single mother is not easy.” Kadmiel nodded, but the weight of his emotions pressed harder on his chest. 

   He was not prepared for this. He had no idea what he would say to Leah, or how he would face the children he had not known existed for five long years.

   The car pulled to a stop in front of a small, run-down house. As Kadmiel and Kelita got out, they saw a commotion up ahead.

    A middle-aged couple was screaming at two young children, a boy and a girl, who looked dirty and frightened.

  “You little brats!” the woman shrieked. “You think we will just let you get away with damaging our car?”

  The boy, who could not have been older than five, stood protectively in front of the girl, his chin trembling as he tried to defend himself. 

   “We did not... we did not do anything. You drove into our path,you almost collided into us.”

   “Liar!” the man shouted, his face turning red with rage. “Look at the scratch! You will pay for this.”

   Kelita gasped. “Kadmiel, Kadmiel... those are your children, I know, I am sure.”

   Kadmiel’s heart stopped for a moment, he quickly assessed them. The boy had his sharp eyes, the girl his stubborn jaw.  

   There was no doubt about it, they were his, he could feel it inside him. A rush of emotion rose in his chest, anger, guilt, and something else he had not felt in a long time.

   The boy reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of coins he had clearly collected from scavenging.

    His small hands shook as he offered the change to the couple, his voice trembling with fear. “Please, take this. It is all we have.”

   The woman snatched the coins with a sneer, glancing at the pitiful amount.

    “This? You think this is enough? You are going to pay for what you did.”

   The man stepped forward, his face covered in rage.

    “You little brats need to be taught a lesson.”The children flinched as the couple closed in, their eyes wide with terror. 

   The boy instinctively shielded his sister, standing between her and the couple, bracing for what was to come. The woman raised her hand, and the air grew tense as physical violence loomed.