*****After leaving Oceanview Estate, Xavier hailed a taxi to the largest herb market in the city, thinking he’d be able to easily locate the ingredients he needed for concocting the medicines his parents needed. Unfortunately, however, he only managed to find a few of the minor components, and no matter how thoroughly he searched, there was not even the faintest sign of the others.As for the main ingredients, the ones that would truly make the medicines he was going to concoct work, which couldn’t be swapped nor absent, it was as if no one in the market had ever heard of them before, so elusive that it felt as if Xavier was the one who had imagined their existence.'What do I do now?' Holding a plastic bag with the handful of ingredients he was able to gather, Xavier after realizing that the things he was searching for weren't present in the market stood at the side, looking completely helpless and frustrated.Despite the market’s vast size, he had already circled it five time
*****Xavier didn’t depart immediately after the little girl had gone, instead, he observed her as she hurried over to a street vendor, eagerly handing over the money he had just given her, her eyes locked on the noodles she was about to buy as though it was a sort of delicacy which anyone would die for.Eventually, after making sure the little girl was okay, he sighed deeply and then brushed off the emotions that threatened to surface, before turning and leaving the market.Barely five minutes after Xavier had left, however, four scruffy-looking roadside gangsters appeared in front of the little girl, who was crouched on the ground, happily devouring the bland-looking noodles she had just purchased as though it were the most delicious meal she had ever tasted in her life.“I see you’ve got cash on you to buy such an expensive-looking meal,” the man who seemed to be the leader, a cigarette dangling from his lips, said abruptly, and the instant the little girl, who was lost in her
*****"First brother! Second brother!” The youngest son of the Blackwood family, despite currently looking somewhat disheveled and worn-out, suddenly shouted with excitement as he burst into the study where his two older brothers sat in tense silence, deep in contemplation.Startled by his sudden entrance, both brothers immediately raised their heads, and the moment their eyes landed on the eager grin on their younger brother’s weary face, confusion crept in.“Yes… something the issue?” The usually stoic of the three Blackwoods; Aldric—Cassandra’s father and the first brother inquired with a small frown on his face.Darian, still catching his breath instantly flashed a grin, a stark contrast to his haggard appearance. "I think I’ve figured out what that bastard had done to Father, making him give out things he couldn’t give his children," he blurted, barely able to contain himself.For a moment, Roland, the second brother, and Aldric couldn’t react to Darian’s words, but then the
*****Of all the possibilities the two brothers had imagined, they had never, not even in their worst nightmare considered what their third brothers had just uttered.Their father, the patriarch of one of Riverton City's six first-rank families—a man who was practically a god in the city, having been controlling the fates of others for decades—was being controlled by someone? It was unthinkable.“Are—are you sure about what you just said?” Aldric and Roland asked in unison for the umpteenth time, their voices dark, cold, and filled with apprehension.“I’m 90% sure,” Darian, the third brother, responded, forcing out a deep breath as he tried his best to contain his emotions.“According to my research, there was an ancient, lost art of acupuncture, one that belonged to a terrifying and evil faction that had terrorized the entire world for centuries. This technique specializes in one thing: controlling the bodies and souls of its hosts.”“This…” Darian’s words sent a cold shiver do
*****At the same time, outside the Blackwood’s estate."I'm telling you, young man, this place is off-limits. It's not meant for people like us," the taxi driver, who had brought Xavier from the herb market muttered, his tired eyes watching Xavier through the rearview mirror.The old man still couldn’t understand why someone like Xavier would want to approach the Blackwood estate.At first, he had assumed Xavier was a servant which was why he had agreed to bring him, but seeing as Xavier did not even know that taxis aren’t permitted inside beyond the Blackwood’s gate, he couldn’t help but shake his head. His concern coming from a place of kindness."You’re asking for trouble, son. I’ve seen it happen," he finally sighed, his gaze looking at the towering and majestic black gate in apprehension.Meanwhile, Xavier, hearing the old man’s advice couldn’t help but stare blankly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry for the old man’s concern.Eventually, he opened his mouth to reveal
*****The elderly driver continued staring at Xavier with a deep sense of pity from the rearview mirror, seeing in him the reflection of a younger, hopeful version of himself—naive, thinking he had found an easier way, only to be met with a bitter disappointment and everlasting regret.He continued waiting patiently for Xavier to respond, but when none came, the old man finally let out a small sigh, already ‘knowing’ the answer."I’ve been there, my friend," he said softly, breaking the silence that had enveloped the car. He paused for a moment, then sighed again. “If you’re open to a bit of advice from an old beggar like me, I’d say you should return home.”His tone was so sincere, coming from deep within, that Xavier couldn’t help but turn his gaze toward him, and noticing this, the old man quickly clarified, not wanting to be misunderstood. “I’ll take your number and let you know if the Blackwoods ever announce another charity session in the future, because, to be honest with y
******“This…”Xavier, hearing the old man and feeling his palpable apprehension couldn't help but be stunned, but then a soft smile appeared on his face, knowing that he didn't need to be bothered about how to convince the old man again.Although he had made up his mind to reveal the truth, he had prepared for the old man to not trust him, but now, he knew that the other party wouldn't have any choice but to agree.“They’re here to pick—” he began without hesitation, but then once again, the old man cut him off."Don’t worry, son," his voice came out shaky but surprisingly determined. "I’ll handle this,” he promised and before Xavier could react, talk more, think of stopping him, he stepped out of the car.“This…” Xavier was dumbstruck by this for a moment, his mouth remaining open as he watched the man hurried away.“But… but they’re here to pick me up,” he finally finished quietly not knowing whether to laugh or cry. But the old man was already out of earshot, approaching the
*****For what felt like an eternity, but in reality, just a brief moment, the old driver remained frozen in space after what he had just witnessed, utterly stunned with his mouth widely ajar.He continued to gape in absolute disbelief, unable to reconcile the scene before him until finally. ‘Could—could it be that I’m now seeing and hearing things because I haven’t eaten all day?’ he wondered dazedly in his mind, struggling to accept the reality before his eyes.Although he hadn’t seen it firsthand, his deep interest in the Blackwood family and years of listening had made him well aware of the stories and rumors surrounding its elite security forces, which is that intruders were never shown any mercy, no matter what.In fact, there had always been a popular saying that had been circulating among them that; “Execution first, ask later. Yet, here they were, showing an entirely unexpected level of respect that completely contradicted the rumor surrounding them.….“I must be hallu