The Shadow Realm

Chapter 2

Austin’s.

As a teenager of 16 years old, Michael lost his parents in a terrible accident a few months ago. It left him homeless, but now lives with his uncle. His uncle was a scientist who devoted his entire life to researching and experimenting, due to this Michael never knew much about him, as his mother never spoke of him. His uncle is referred to as “ein verrückter Wissenschaftler,” meaning “a mad scientist.”

Being a teenager, Mr. John Austin was always curious and loved learning new things. Even when he knew the subject matter that his teachers were about to present in the classroom, he would still pay attention and try to learn more about it.

As a brilliant teenage who went to a military school, was summoned to the general office due to his outstanding performance in all activities and research.

“John I saw your results, it was outstanding, what do you plan to become in future “the general asked John”.

“hmm I will love to be a scientist,

“Hmm a scientist, do you know the work of a scientist and the challenges in becoming one?”

“Yes of course, I know a scientist uses all it takes to make him/herself successful in every thing he/she does and focus more on his/her duty.”

“A scientist will always do all in his/her power to achieve his/her goals.”

“I will love to be one because that’s what I want to and I can’t wait to become one.”

“ Nice to hear that from you but my advice to you is this “Don’t listen to what people will say or call you in future because you’re the owner of your life, it’s either you work on yourself or not. People don’t want to know your process before getting to the top , they only want to know you’re achievement so, stay focus and believe that you can do it. “ said the general.”

“Thanks , I will make use of your advice and I will make you proud in the future.” He said and bowed before he works out of the general office and went back to his class.

 On a Sunday morning, Austin’s were on their way to their usual Sunday service. After the sermon for that Day, on their way home Mr. Austin and Mrs. Austin decided to branch by the market and get some foodstuff for the family because Christmas is fast approaching.

After getting all the foodstuff needed, they continued their journey home. Riding slowly in a dry season with cool Christmas song then suddenly there was a change in the weather, everywhere became dark and stormy . It looks like the world was about to end due to the change in weather.

Due to this Mr. Austin decided to drive fast so they could get home quick.

 On this process, they got to a narrow bridge, it was a bridge that’s dangerous for more than two cars to pass once.

Due to the weather, Mr. Austin couldn’t see what’s going on at the front. As they were passing through the bridge, it started raining heavily.

"Darling, it's raining, why don't we stop by somewhere until the rain stops?" Mrs. Austin suggested.

“Don’t worry sweetheart we will get home soon, I want us to get home quick before it becomes worst, we don’t know what will happen if we stop by some place, we are almost at the end of the bridge “.

  As they were approaching the bridge, suddenly a lightning bolt struck it, leaving a hole at the end of the bridge. Unfortunately, due to the stormy weather, no one could see the hole, and they were in danger of falling through it.

"Darling, please let's turn back, I'm really scared, I don't know what will happen. Please, darling, turn back, let's wait for the weather to clear up," Mrs. Austin implored, her fear evident in her voice.

“Sweetheart, why are you scared, this is not our first time passing here and not my first time driving on this bridge so sweetheart don’t be afraid, nothing will happen, you know I love you”.

As they approached the area where the lightning had caused the crack, the weather became even more stormy and Mr. Austin couldn't see what was ahead of him. On reaching the spot, the bridge couldn't withstand the weight of the car and the Austin family, and it collapsed.

"OMG!!!" Mr. Austin and Mrs. Austin shouted, they quickly looked at the back seat to check on uncle John who was fast asleep and couldn't notice what was happening.

The bridge collapsed and the car went plummeting into the ocean.

"Darling, please let's find a way to save our son first," Mrs. Austin said frantically.

"John! John! Wake up! How could you sleep through this?" Mr. Austin shouted.

"Oh my God, what's happening?" John cried out, as he struggled for his dear life.

"Darling! Help! We're drowning!" Mrs. Austin screamed.

Mr. Austin quickly used all his strength to break the car window and pushed John out so he could swim to safety.

 John Austin quickly swam to the end of the ocean and came out now waiting for his Dad and his mom. As he stood there waiting, he couldn't help but notice that if there was no one to come to their aid, his parents would surely drown. Desperate to find help, he quickly set off towards a nearby location, searching for anyone who might be able to assist him. However, due to the inclement weather, he found that there was no one around by the time he reached his destination. Determined to not give up, he spotted a long rope lying nearby and grabbed it, thinking that it might be a useful tool to help him rescue his parents. Despite there being no sign of his parents by the time he returned to the ocean, he remained resolute and tied the rope securely to a nearby tree before diving into the ocean in search of his beloved parents.

Though he was a skilled swimmer, diving deep into the ocean was not something he was accustomed to, and the turbulent waters made it all the more difficult for him to find his mother and father. Nevertheless, he refused to give up and kept searching, determined to find them. Just as he was about to lose hope, thinking that perhaps someone else had already rescued them, he saw his parents drowning in the deep waters, out of reach. The desperate urge to save them consumed him, and he made the decision to push himself deeper, despite the dangerous conditions. Unfortunately, the rope he had brought with him proved to be too short to be of any use, and he was forced to rely solely on his own strength and swimming abilities to reach them. With no other options available, he quickly untied the rope and risked his own life by diving deeper into the ocean in an attempt to reach his parents. With all of his strength, he finally managed to reach them and began the process of rescuing them. However, in the process of trying to save his parents, he found himself struggling to stay afloat and began to drown as well.

Luckily, Mr. Austin saw what was happening, he quickly pulled both his wife and John and pushed them upward, so they could quickly reach the surface and swim to safety. In the process of doing this, he himself went deep down the ocean, yet both John and Mrs. Austin were able to safely swim to shore.

“Darling! Darling! Where are you? Please don’t leave me, I can’t bear to be without you. Please come back to me,” Mrs. Austin cried out, tears streaming down her face as she looked out into the ocean, desperately searching for her husband. She could not bear the thought of losing him, and her heart was heavy with worry and grief.

“Mum, let’s find someone to help us,” John said, looking up at his mother with a determined expression. “Go, John. Quickly go find someone who can help. I’ll wait here for your dad,” Mrs. Austin replied, her voice trembling with emotion. Without hesitation, John set off in search of help, leaving his mother behind to wait anxiously for any news of her husband. “Darling, wait for me. Let me come with you,” Mrs. Austin called out after him, her voice full of love and concern.

Feeling overwhelmed with worry and unable to bear the thought of losing her husband, Mrs. Austin dove into the ocean, determined to find him. Tragically, she too drowned in the tumultuous waters, unable to survive the perilous conditions.

When John returned with people who could help, he frantically searched for his mother, calling out her name in despair. “Mum! Mum! Where are you? People are here who can save Dad!” However, due to the worsening weather and the dangerous ocean conditions, they were unable to swim deep enough to find any trace of Mr. and Mrs. Austin.

With the loss of both his parents, John became an orphan. He was taken in by the General and provided with everything he needed to start a new life. This tragic event changed him, he will always remember his parents and the love they shared .

After 25 years, John’s grief over the loss of his parents never really subsided, and he dedicated his whole life to researching and understanding the causes of the accident that took his parents’ lives. As a result, people began to call him “ein verrückter Wissenschaftler”, or “the mad scientist”, due to his intense and relentless focus on his research.

Despite this, John still found time to try and maintain personal relationships, but these were often strained due to his single-minded devotion to his work. He met his first girlfriend when he was 20, but she left due to lack of attention. He married a girl from his church through the councilor and had a girl and a boy when he was 25, but even this relationship eventually fell apart due to his constant focus on his research and the nickname people gave him. Despite this, he never gave up on his quest to uncover the truth about what happened to his parents, even if it meant sacrificing his personal life.

People began to call his wife the “ein verrückter Wissenschaftler wife” due to her association with John’s intense and relentless focus on his research.

Due to these events, Michael ended up living with his uncle. At first, Michael was afraid of him because of his intense focus on his work and lack of smiling, and he believed the rumors about his uncle being a “mad scientist.” However, as he got to know him better, he saw that his uncle was incredibly caring and kind-hearted. He loved listening to people and talking less.

For Michael, his uncle was the best person he knew and in his uncle’s eyes, he was not a mad scientist but a person who is passionate about his work, and if someone want to get to know about him, just bring up a topic about science. He will show you a whole different perspective of him.

Michael was also passionate about science. He have a great love for science and also eager to learn more, but his story is becoming difficult and it may lead to great sadness. Mr. John story was told to him by his mom, but he believes she did not reveal everything about him, which he will have to uncover on His own.”