On a cold winter morning, when leaves were falling from the Japanese maple tree in the backyard, Angus Bekham was busy making coffee for himself in the spacious kitchen of the Beckham Residence.
With a satisfying smile plastered on his face, Angus gently put down the coffee cup on the table. Though there was a crew of maids in the Beckham Residence, Angus always made his own breakfast.
Trying to cut a fruit as it dropped on the floor, he leaned down to get it.
For a moment Angus felt someone was near him and his nostrils took in a perfume that he felt rather familiar with. Thinking of it as nothing much, he went on searching for the fruit.
"Ahh!" Suddenly he screamed in pain as the hot coffee splashed on his hand, giving him a burning sensation.
"Oh, sir. I'm so sorry, I didn't see you were on the floor." The maid uttered so but her voice sounded rather unapologetic. Before Angus could stand up, the maid quickly stood on his finger and he hissed in pain.
Getting always treated like this, Angus was not even shocked. All the maids just wanted to hurt him anyhow, they had fun doing so. They didn't think Angus was a human at all.
"What do you think you are doing? Mila." Suddenly hearing the serious tone of the man, the maid named Mila moved away and Angus could finally move his finger, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Young master, I've mistakenly hurt sir. Please forgive my impudence..." Mila cried out in a sobbing tone of voice.
The man quickly ran towards Angus, helping him to stand up.
"Angi, are you ok?" The man asked worriedly.
"Thank you brother. I'm fine."
"That's good to know. Wait, your hand..."
"I'm really ok. Don't worry." Angus gave him a small smile, his hand where the hot coffee fell has turned red now. He was hurting but he didn't want anyone to suffer because of him.
"Boss, the car is ready. We need to leave now."
"Angi, we will talk after I come back."
"Sure, have a safe trip."
As the hurried footsteps vanished into the distance Angus felt isolated again. He could feel all the pair of eyes fixated on him when Angus only could stand alone, as if he was pushed into the corner.
"He's really shameless. In this house, he's merely an extra. Why don't he fuck off? Probably because nobody will take in a blind and disgusted man like him? Look at him, all he does everyday is eat and sleep."
The maids didn't even try to lower their voices, Angus could hear every word so clearly just like they wanted.
"Isn't that's why he's not the young master of this house? I wouldn't even call him 'sir' if it was not because of the young master. He's so kind, he ordered us to give this shameless man respect. Fuck, such a sh!t like Angus Bekham never deserves one in the first place."
The young master they were talking about was Mathew Bekham, Angus's big brother. From maids to parents, everyone treated Mathew like a god they worshipped where Angus was a devil full of disgust for them.
Angus held the edge of the table so tight that his knuckles turned white.
After getting adopted by the Bekham couple Angus thought they would love him and treat him like their own and at first, everything was going that way too. But soon it all changed.
Being visually impaired, Angus had to depend on people. At first everyone treated him with love and care until one day, the parents got angry at him. He became like a bane to Matthew's existence even though he had no idea what he did wrong.
People treated him more like a burden, he was deprived of love and care for so long.
There were only two people in the whole universe who showed him love and cared for him truly. One was Mathew and the other one was...
"Sir, your hand turned red. Please come with me. Let me put some ointment on it for you." A familiar soft hand touched his burning one. It was Cathy, the second person who truly cared for him.
Cathy was a maid in the Bekham house since she was seven and since then she has been taking good care of Angus. Cathy was like a sister and best friend to Angus, he felt blessed to have her by his side.
"Thank you." When she was taking care of his wound, Angus kept silent. Many times he thought what would it feel like if one day he could see everything? Would things change? But reality was not magical nor was he a magician.
"Sir."
Cathy looked around for a moment as if she was afraid of someone keeping an eye on her. Because of being visually impaired Angus could be more detailed about his surroundings unlike those even with eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"There's something I have to tell you, it's very important." Cathy uttered so close to his ears.
"What is it?"
"Not now, I'll tell you tonight."
"Huh? Why n..."
Cathy suddenly held Angus's hand a little too tight and looked around one more time.
Angus could feel something was definitely wrong. Cathy seemed to be scared but on alert at the same time.
"Sir, sometimes what we see is the opposite version of what it is actually... Sorry, I have to go now. Wait for my message tonight."
"Huh? What do you mean..."
Cathy was gone in a swift, leaving him in the corridor alone. Angus couldn't figure out what exactly Cathy could mean nor could he think of what exactly Cathy had to say at night. He couldn't wait and kept thinking of the possible reasons...
Soon it became night. Angus didn't see Cathy after his last talk with her. He kept waiting and the more he did, he was losing his patience.
"Everyday she stays around but today, it feels like she has gone missing for a long time. What is actually going on?"
Beep!
Angus decided to go to her when suddenly a voice message popped up on his phone screen.
"Sir, I'm waiting for you on the rooftop. Please come here right now."
Without a second thought Angus grabbed the white cane, heading towards the rooftop. As he was nearing the rooftop, he started feeling uneasy.
Angus suddenly paused, he gulped when he was about a foot away from the rooftop. As time passed by, the uneasiness grew deeper in his chest.
Putting his feet on the rooftop he asked worriedly, "Cathy, I'm here. Where are you?"
For some odd reason, the surroundings were giving him chills. The rooftop smelt bloody and it was deadly silent that it gave a shiver run down his spine. He swallowed hard and asked loudly this time, "Cathy, can you hear me? I'm here, please come out."
Worried , he walked towards whichever way he felt like going to. Suddenly Angus stepped on something that felt like a body was lying on the ground. Though bad things were making chaos in his head he still sat down and touched it and he trembled in fear.
"Who... Ca-Cathy?" Red liquid filled his hand. Checking her breathing he understood that Cathy was no more...
Then he got more scared, it looked weird.
"Cathy wanted to tell me something, is there any connection between her death and..."
"You are right. There's a connection between those two."
Hearing the extremely familiar voice Angus was taken aback. What was he doing here?
"Mathew, what do you mean? And what are you doing here?"
"Don't tell me that your dear lover didn't tell you anything. Did I kill her for no reason?"
"What... You... You killed her? But why?" Angus was devastated and confused at the same time.
"Ahhh, of course it was because she was going to tell you how I was going to take your shares in my name. Trust me if she wouldn't have decided to tell you about my plan, I would have never killed her..."
As if someone pushed him from heaven to hell. How could Mathew, who had the face of an angel, be so cruel? Angus always believed in Matthew.
"Mathew, it's all a lie right? You can't do it..."
"I can understand it must be hard to believe since I was the only one who supported you."
"What..."
"I did everything for my plan. Grandpa gave 51% share in your name even though you are merely an adopted dog. My parents hated you since the day they learnt the truth, but even though I hated you, I had to suppress it all these years and finally... I waited for so long to take back what's rightfully mine. And finally the time has come." Mathew chuckled like a devil and Angus was getting more scared. Everything felt so foreign as well as terrific to him.
He couldn't see nor could he fight, there was no way he was going to survive if Mathew was to beat him.
"Mathew, we can't talk it out. I can give you my share but please..."
"That won't do. Cuz you can't give up your share until you die."
"What..."
"In grandpa's will, it's written that only when you die, can someone take over your share. So you must die, my dear brother."
His last hope of survival was crushed into ashes. Mathew was walking towards Angus, Angus was stepping backwards.
"Mathew please. Don't..." Angus paused as he would fall down if he was to move another inch.
"Die now!" Suddenly Mathew pushed him from the rooftop.
"No!"
Flying in the air, Angus felt he was close to his ending.
'I don't want to die. Please, God give me a second chance and I'll do anything I can to survive. Please...'
As his head hit something, he felt pain. His eyes clouded with blood and his body became immovable.
[Host found]
[System Activated]
[Analysis of the host's physical condition, initiate]
[Processing the healing of th
e host's wound, initiate]
[Entering the era of the Kieran]
[30%]
'Wait...'
[70%]
[100%]
[Welcome the host to the era of Kieran]
'What... What is all this?'
The birds were chirping in the near distance when the gentle breeze kissed the bridge of his nose. Something felt definitely off but at the same time, the faint sound of the breaking of new blooms after rainfall felt real.Lying on the soft floor that felt like a bed made of grasses, Angus woke up with a severe headache. As he opened his eyes slowly, the sudden dazzling light made him more dizzy."Where is this place? Where am I?" That was the first question that popped up in his head. Angus looked around in a daze, everything felt so new to him."As far as I can remember... Mathew pushed me from the rooftop, I was falling down then... Then a voice spoke in my head and a hologram uhmm, something like a three-dimensional image popped up out of nowhere then I... I can't remember anything else." Angus pulled his hair and looked around. It was such a beautiful garden, with different types of beautiful flowers and plants around."Lord Idris, I finally found you. Oh my, why did you come out
'Arghhh! I don't know until when it will be going like this. Geez!' Idris stared at the ground grumpily when someone pulled his hand.Holding his hand, a blue eyed girl with brown hair looked so delighted. She smiled tearfully and said sincerely, "I'm so happy you are fine and breathing. Brother, let's play together.""I don't want to." Idris voiced bluntly.The 10 year old girl grabbed his hand and looked at him with puppy eyes, "Why not? Are you not feeling well?""I'm feeling much better but I don't feel like playing." He answered.Shasha Beaufort, Idris's sister, was a pretty, kind-hearted and smart girl. She looked a little like Merle but a little like the Duke of Montana. At first, Idris was happy to see her but since she started talking so much and jumping around him, nagging him to play with her he was getting pissed rather.Shasha sat down on the bed quietly, her eyes filled with sadness, "Everyday, you say we should play together. We don't have any friends to play with sinc
Some voices sounded rather clear in his ears when his eyes were still closed. Idris slightly moved on the bed and as he opened his eyes he was stunned.All of a sudden Adam jumped on him and hugged him tight, almost choking him up, "My Lord, you are awake... Why did you do it? Why?" Hearing him, Idris gulped. He thought they caught him sneaking out until Adam said the next line, "You were lying on the ground when I found you. I was scared. Why didn't you ask me to go with you if you wanted to pick a flower?"'Seems I haven't gotten caught yet. Thankfully.'"I wanted to take a look at the flowers haha. Don't cry now, I'm fine. It sounds funny." He let go of his breath and calmed down."Fine. I won't cry but if you want to pick a flower then please tell me first ok? I'll pick it up for my Lord.""Of course."'I surely remember that there was something strange that pushed me away. But what was it? Such a strong force I felt back then...'After the last time, Idris thought to try it agai
Unable to move from his place, Idris felt severe and unexplainable pain in his hand and legs. With his head a mess and his memory in chaos, he could hear some noises when his eyes were closed. He slightly moved on his place and the voices that were distant became audible. "We were just going to kidnap that woman and then sell her to the foreign merchant to get some money but look at what we got." One of the guys stared at Idris hatefully and let out a sigh of frustration as he continued, "If only that guy didn't meddle in, we could have done our job perfectly but now, it's all ruined because of that brat."Idris couldn't understand what situation he was in, and far more it didn't give him any good feelings either. 'I was wrong, those guys were actually their group members. Looks like they took us here by kidnapping… ' "What should we do now? Should we kill him?" Another guy asked.'Are they going to kill me? Wait, where is Adam? And also that woman whom we tried to rescue...'"Nah,
It took Idris sometimes to settle his facial reaction as him staring at Reiki made the situation a bit awkward. Reiki's wife, the woman they saved, introduced herself as Alexa but none of them revealed their surname.Unlike Alexa, Reiki had an average look of a man. He was a tall man with an average height, his brown eyes matched his blonde hair quite finely. Though he was not much muscular, his fighting skills were worth admiring.Reiki checked the surroundings for a moment before coming back to Alexa. "I know a certain way, as long as we follow the path we will be able to leave this place. Let's go." Saying so as Reiki proceeded with his wife, Adam suddenly stood before Idris. Extending his arms in front of him, Adam voiced cautiously as if looking out for danger, "My Lord, what if they are not trustworthy? We don't know them, we can end up in trouble."'I am sure Skie would have warned me if there was anything like that. Since my mission was to find this man, I'm sure he will be u
The cool breeze kissed his cheeks and he stretched out his arms feeling the new sensation though he was slightly scared to fall down. How beautiful and clear the sky looked! Unlike the world he lived in, this world was totally different. It looked rather pure and more beautiful but the world he lived in was harsher than one could imagine. "My Lord, it is time to go." At Adam's reminder, Idris nodded his head, "Yeah, let's go." And he jumped over the wall. "Adam, later you will show Mr. And Mrs. Eckes their room. And you didn't forget what to say if someone asks who they are right?Adam bobbed his head and Idris gave them a small smile before heading towards his room. Just when he was on the door, surprisingly Merle ran to them with Sasha following behind."Mother..." Awestruck, he didn't know what to say. What if Merle already found out about his absence for the past few days? What would she do to him since he strictly told him not to go out? Many questions clouded his mind.Merle l
"Adam, pass the ball." Idris called out as he waited for the ball cheerfully. They were playing the 'kick balls' game in the backyard of the palace with nobody around.Adam looked backwards and shot at the ball, though he didn't seem to be interested to play at first now he was playing actively. Just as Idris ran to kick the ball, he fell on his knees. Until now he was so enthusiastic that he didn't feel tired at all but the moment his knees touched the ground, he felt his body so weak and he was sweating like a horse."My Lord, it's my fault. I shouldn't have agreed to play along or else you wouldn't get hurt like this." Adam helped him to stand up. "Don't blame yourself, it was me who asked you to play. You were just following my instructions." Idris hissed in pain then he bit his lips to stay strong. Adam looked down at the ground feeling guilty, when Idris asked him to play with him he didn't want to do it but thinking that Idris didn't have anyone to play with he finally agreed.
The night sky was full of twinkling stars and the big dazzling moon when the moonlit spread everywhere, giving a dainty panorama. Standing near the window of his room Idris kept looking into the space, though everywhere screamed silence he could hear the crickets making a soft chorus somewhere in the distance. Idris's room was not so extravagant, unlike those rooms the Duke's son would have but he didn't expect much, it was peaceful here. "My Lord, it's Adam. May I come in?""Yes, come in."As Adam walked into the room, Idris looked at him from his head to toe. To not call for attention, Idris told him to wear clothes that the farmer wears so Adam did exactly the same. And now, he exactly looked like a farmer. 'The time has finally come... ' Idris heaved a sigh, thinking so. "It's time for me to leave, My Lord. I came to bid goodbye to you." Adam voiced, with a sad look in his eyes. In the palace nobody knew about Adam's departure hence nobody was awake in the palace to see him o