7:45 amThe car slid into sight again, blasting forth through the tarred roads. Hermes had his hand on the car window as his leg pressed hard on the accelerator. The car wasn't his, but he cared little about that. He wanted to arrive at the address as fast as possible.Checking again through the piece of paper, he sighed. The location was only a few minutes away now. It could also mean that he was only a few minutes from another shock of his life, that is, if there was really anything else capable of shocking him again."This cascade doesn't end" he heaved. If he would find his mother from this current endeavor, then he would soon know whatever truth that had been kept secret from him since childhood.By now, he was in the said neighbourhood. The same Caveliona town which used to be a paradise within the lithosphere of the nation. That was very true, until the great havoc that happened many years ago during the bloodiest political election ever in the history of the state, pioneered b
Kicking down the door with his leg, he stood tall before the duo as the wooden door came falling at their feet.At Razor, Hermes heaved. "The herald of vengeance!" His words sounded quite funny even to the victim who was still in pains of torture, they just made no sense.Perhaps he had been thinking too much and too frequently about his revenge, and he just felt like using the rather comical phrase at that point. But it didn't matter, he needed more than a magic word to beat this man in front of him.Razor launched forward slowly, heaving heavily as he proceeded with one of his torture daggers in his solid grasp. "Who are you? How dare you show your face here?""What has this man done to you? What's the torture all about?""You walk in here to question me?!" Razor growled with fury, throwing the dagger in Hermes's direction.All thanks to the quickness of Hermes's feet, he was able to avoid the attack. And the flying knife stung onto a wall. As Hermes balanced his stance again, his
"I thought I told you not to feel comfortable around me. But somehow, you followed me to this place?""Opps! Sorry for barging in, captain. I see you had it all under control." She moved away from him as he rejected her hand, rising up by himself."You should be grateful I saved your ass. If he had taken your life, I doubt you would rest in peace or even get to heaven." She declared, pointing at Razor who still rolled in pains in the sand. "His victims all end up in hell, I heard.""He's not that great.""Oh yes?! Tell it to the blood around your mortal neck.""You ever died by his hands? And you ended up in hell?" Hermes asked, disdained by her evaluation. But his question evoked a weird reception. Haisley halted to a stop, and gave a stare so cold to Hermes that he could feel the icy touch rubbing tentatively on his rigid heart.If only he had the slightest idea of the things she had gone through over the years, that question would not have found its way around his thoughts, not t
"What do you mean?"What was he saying? That the key to that immeasurable bulk of riches was right around his fingers? How could that be true? How would he even know? He wasn't the one who gave Hermes the ring."I know who gave you that ring. I know he told you that it is to protect you. But it is way more than that. More even than the gold you're looking for. This ring has a very tragic story right behind it's very existence."Hermes ruminated on his words. There were hard and confident, and they harbored a certain fear."I'm not looking for the gold", he said, his eyes reinforcing his speech. "I want to find my mother."Then, bending down before Bell and staring into his suspicious eyes, Hermes requested. "Do you know anything about her?"This might just end his endless search. If this man knew of his mother's whereabouts, gold or no gold, he would be the happiest man alive. He would lay low completely and forget about revenge. He would live in peace without a lover, but then with a
"And with this, I am glad to announce to this gracious gathering of elites, that DeHa, the foundation of the future, would soon to be a realization. In coalition with the best of men and the greatest of minds, we shall re-revolutionize the world and remodify its success."A wave of thunderous claps clouded the ears as Derek Bradbury completed his speech and exited the stage, rounding off the entire programme.And as he exchanged pleasantries with dignified notables, a voice recognized him from behind."Nice speech you dropped back there." It said, "I almost got convinced."Turning his head, Derek found a familiar figure walking in his direction. "Mark Dengerberd. It has been such a long time.""Yes yes, I have not seen much of you for a long time." Mark picked up a glass of wine from a passing tray. "But hear I did, Derek. I've heard so many things about you and my ears have grown tired.""Stories fly, Mark. True and false.""My sources are unrivalled, Derek. Information is why I rem
"Where... Where is Hermes?"Bell struggled to utter those words. He felt as weak as ever. Whatever he was poisoned with, he could feel that it was killing him. He could not deny it; Survival was now a long shot and his days had finally come to an end."He has gone in search of a cure for you. He will be back with it." Haisley consoled his hopes, a concerned look in her eyes as she stared down at the dying man, breathing hope into his face.But hope had faded into despair in Bell's heart."I don't think I can survive... I don't...""Shhhh." Haisley put a hand on his dying lips. "Don't say things like that. I believe in Hermes, he will walk in here with the antidote. And you will walk out from here hale and strong again."Her words were power and the way she said them, the way she stared into his eyes."Who... are you?"At this point, the question was inevitable. Who was this woman with him and why was she so calm and comforting?"I'm just a friend of Hermes who believes in him". She re
"That's all you need, young man. You can leave with it now, I pray that your friend is able to survive the deadly toxins of the purple lotus."Accepting the gem fruit from the old orchard man, Hermes beamed with a bow, expressing gratitude.Without wasting any more second, he turned back towards his car. He needed to get back to the hospital in time. He had promised to be back within an hour but forty minutes had gone already.Even though he was moving with a speed twice more than the legally allowed pace on the road, he was still not fast enough. But luckily for him, Caveolina hardly had any law in place anymore. So he could drive even faster on the journey back.On the way back, he thought about Bell and his unconcluded story. What could his mother have said to him on the day she called? Did it have anything to do with her location right now or the location of the much wanted treasure?Whatever that secret was, he knew he only had to reach the hospital again and cure the man. Then h
Hermes was indeed shocked to see that Razor was not dead. It came to him late, but now he could see it - Haisley had been tricking him all along."Of course she tricked the hell out of your smart ass! Why do you think I died so easily?"How could he not know? Hermes asked within himself."So you're alive". He muttered."You really thought she killed me? That's shameful. I was told you were hard to deceive." Letting out a loud laughter, Razor rushed at Hermes, his dagger ahead of him.Before Hermes could return the gesture to fight, he had to firstly push Diana away from the path of danger. And that took a toll on his stance as Razor took full advantage of it, throwing him onto a table after he was barely able to avoid the dagger strike. Their sudden fight and the immediate noise it created took the attention of the entire hospital by shock. The patients trembled at their corners as their illness doubled in magnitude. The nurses were scared too, with no understanding as to whatever wa