Author's Notes: I had a question for all my readers.
I sometimes insert thoughts or dreams/visions or past experiences of my characters in italics within the text. Are they easily understandable? Like in the last chapter, there was a lot of transition between past, present, memories, and the thoughts of others that Seydon was reading.
Please drop me a comment here if you find them confusing, and I will try to be careful next time.
I don't wanna use complex vocabulary and sentences. I simply want to put out a good story that everyone can enjoy. Sometimes an author tries to write what they are visualising, but not everyone can perceive the same because of incoherent text. Don't hesitate to point that out for me! Thank you so much!
Kaidon
"What are the two of you doing here this late at night?"
Fuck! Caught within the first five minutes of the mission?
We flipped around in sync to come face to face with my father. He stood there with a bored-looking expression on his face, his hands settled on his waist and his body naked on the top half. His hair were dishevelled, and his eyes told me that he just woke up.
Something hit me hard on the back of my head, followed by an angry growl by Alex, "So much for your infiltration plan, genius!"
The apple he hit me with rolled down to Dad's feet. He picked it up and then turned his back to us. "Follow me."
Alex gave me a questioning look, and I shrugged. With an annoyed expression plastered on his face, he picked up another fruit from the foot of the apple tree he was hiding behind and flung it in my direction, and I barely dodged it. He had every right to be irritated. I honestly had no clue how we got caught this early.
He joined me as both of us fell on foot behind my father. We glanced around, and the manor looked empty, making me wonder if he really did already know that we were coming.
The house was eerily similar to Seydon's. I stayed here for a brief period of time before moving to my own place with my caretaker. Seydon joined the household a few weeks before I did. He was an unusually silent child back then. In the brief period that we stayed together in this house, I never once saw him step outside his room on the far right corner of the ground floor. I glanced in that direction, feeling the nostalgia of the memories rushing in. I would often stand outside his door, waiting for him to open. We became closer only after both of us moved out of this house. Later I joined the school and met Alice. That was probably when I finally got rid of my loneliness.
We climbed up the circular stairs after him as he made his way to the study room.
"Thank the heavens that your grandfather isn't here, you dimwits." I heard him mutter. That was probably the first time I heard him cursing.
The door to the study room opened with a click, and he switched on the lights. While we curiously glanced around the room, he reached for a shirt of his lying on the couch and pulled it on.
"Someone's got a better body than his son, eh eh?" Alex teased me, elbowing me.
"Since when do you know what kinda body I got, huh, peeper?" My eyes twinkled with mischief, and he made a face at me.
"Alice told me you sucked!"
"Really? She told me otherwise."
He raised his palm to my face, and I chuckled. "Stop right there. I don't wanna hear any more than that." He made a disgusted face which cracked me up further.
"Now, what in the world were the two of you thinking, breaking in the house this late at night?" My father asked with his eyebrows raised, and his hands crossed over his chest.
Alright, calm down, we've got this under-
"It was all his plan, sir!" Alex announced, pointing an accusatory finger at me, earning him my sharp glare.
This little pipsqueak is gonna get it from me one of these days!
"Well, care to elaborate?" Dad asked, and I facepalmed.
"How in the world did we get caught anyway?" I was curious about what I missed.
"My barrier stands like a wall around the boundary of the house 24/7. I already knew you guys were here as soon as you stepped on it."
The fuck! What in the world-
I sighed in defeat. I had never factored in that variable. His powers were beyond my comprehension.
"What were you trying to steal anyway? You could have just asked for it."
"I did, and you never told me the truth! Who is Ri-" Before Alex could go about spouting our questions in the wrong order, I grabbed him and shut his mouth with my palm.
"Let me do the talking!" I whispered. Then turning to dad, I continued, "It's time you stop hiding things from us, President."
I stressed on the word 'President' to imply my disappointment with him hiding things from me. I knew I was playing an underhanded emotional trick with him, but if it works, then I have no regrets.
He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Walking over to the side table, he emptied a pack of instant coffee in a cup and added some hot water from the machine.
"You kids sure know how to give your parents a major headache." He mumbled as he took a sip and then turned around to us. "Do you guys want some?"
"Dad, we are here for-"
"Actually, I would like some," Alex announced as he headed over to the table, making me gape at his retreating back.
I cleared my throat and continued, "We have a few questions. Answer them honestly for us, and we'll leave."
He walked over to the main desk, placed his cup on the top and leaned against the wooden board, his hands holding on to the edges of the table. "Kaidon, there is a time and place for everything. If a player were to reveal all his moves early on, he would lose the game."
What the hell is he talking about?!
"Our lives aren't a fucking game of chess, Dad! We aren't puppets you can move on a board!"
"I am not the one doing the moving, son, and this isn't a two-player game. There are bigger things at play here."
"This doesn't even make any sense!"
"Just trust me, Kaidon. Keep calm and do as we say."
"How in the world do you expect us to trust you when we don't even know what we are trying to achieve!"
"Stop acting like a kid, son! We have sacrificed a lot for the sake of this world!"
"Just how you sacrificed mom that night!" I shouted at the top of my voice, my breathing escalated. I felt a drop of sweat trickle down the back of my neck despite the air conditioning in the room. Relaxing my fingers which had curled up into fists at my side, I glanced at Alex, who watched us silently, his eyes oscillating between my father and me.
After a long awkward silence, my father finally conceded defeat. "Tell me what your questions are, and I will try my best to answer them."
I pinched the bridge between my nose. He wasn't the only one going to end up with a headache tonight. I walked over to Alex to make myself a cup of coffee as well.
"Where is-" I ate my words in as I turned on my heel to notice him holding his finger up to his lips, gesturing us to stay silent. We were confused but decided to do as he asked. Our eyes followed his movement as he picked up his phone and texted. A moment later, my phone vibrated. There was a text from him that read, "Do not speak or move or even breathe if possible."
Alex glanced at my screen from over my shoulder, and both of us gave each other a curious gaze. His curt instructions sounded too urgent to not be followed. Hence we stood motionless in our places. We watched as he raised his hand, closed his eyes, and his fingers curled up into a claw-like shape. The next moment we stood agape as a glassy transparent substance appeared before our eyes. Curious, I tried to touch it, and I could feel a soft soapy texture. It felt like being trapped inside a giant bubble. My finger poked in, and the material of the barrier bent according to the shape, making me wonder like a little kid. This was my first time witnessing it. I gave a sideways glance at Alex, who seemed equally entranced by the extraordinary power.
So this is one of his famous barriers.
While we were busy getting fascinated, we didn't notice when my grandfather entered the study room. Both of us froze in our tracks. No matter how many times I met him, he always managed to run a chill down my spine with barely his gaze. I peered at Alex, and he was as stupefied as I was, perhaps even more. His eyes were wide open as if he just witnessed a python.
He glanced in our direction, and for a moment there, I felt like I locked my eyes with his. His piercing gaze was boring into my very soul, and I shuddered with fear. But my father was confident about his barrier, and hence the likelihood was next to impossible.
"You are still fond of that tasteless coffee, huh, Ray?" His authoritative voice resounded through the eerie quiet of the study room, and both of us, hidden behind the barrier, took a silent sigh of relief.
"Father...? I thought you were returning in the morning."
"I took an early flight." He answered as he took a seat on the couch. He picked up that day's newspaper lying about on the centre table and browsed through the contents, his eyes not particularly focussed on any article. "You are unusually awake quite late at night."
"I was reading."
"I see." He nodded as he turned to another page. "I didn't notice any guards patrolling outside."
"The head of security summoned them for some routine evening instructions."
He must have dismissed them all when he learned we were in. Dad sure was prepared for any questions that could get him cornered.
"Alright." He crossed his legs as he relaxed back on the couch, his eyes still riveted on the newspaper.
"Father, you must be tired fr-"
"I heard an interesting rumour, Ray." He interrupted. "Someone with the same description as the Red Phoenix was said to have been sighted alongside the Silver Hawk. You mind explaining the situation to me?"
WHAT!? He is supporting Seydon on his mission?
Alex shot me a questioning glance, and I shook my head.
"Father, the Red Phoenix is already-"
"Reed lives. I am already aware."
He WHAT?
Did he know that all along? And still didn't make a move? Did he have other motives in his mind?
Could it be? He really wasn't the person after them?
Grandfather folded the paper back and sighed as he continued, "This could be troublesome. We need to do something about it."
"It's better if Leander stays with that child. If Gilaan were to get to his mind, it could prove to be counterproductive for us."
Wait what? Gilaan? Did they send Seydon to find Gilaan?
Alex's hands shook at the sudden realisation, and the coffee in his hand spilt, making him squeal but I managed to grab him and shut his mouth before he could blow our cover.
"Freeze," I whispered in his ear.
There, my father broke his own coffee mug to mask our presence. While he picked up the broken pieces, they continued their argument.
"Raydon, there was a reason why I chose Seydon for this mission. He is the only person who can hope to fight against his powers."
Dad picked up the pieces and threw them in the dustbin, and then answered, "And you also know that is precisely the reason he could also turn against us."
"We raised the kid. He owes us a lot."
"And Gilaan is his father," Dad announced, and I felt like the Earth slipped below my feet. That realisation was far too baffling for me. "We only saw to Seydon's daily needs. We weren't particularly a family to him. I dare say that we would have treated our pet dog better than him if we had one."
"That boy is the seedling of that corrupted vicious man! I was merciful enough to even let him stay in my house! My daughter didn't deserve that ending!"
I could see Dad's fingers curl up into fists on his sides and his face turning red. I had never really witnessed him getting angry at someone, but today was the day he was going to snap when he retorted, "And he is also the last of what we have left of Sherry, Father! She loved him. She wanted us to protect him. Leander is the one out there, seeing that the promise is kept! If you had even an inch of respect for her, you wouldn't have sent him out on a suicide mission!"
That was too much of an information overload for one single night. I glanced at Grandfather from the corner of my eyes, and he looked agitated. At the same time, I think I saw a hint of sorrow, mourning. Perhaps I was hallucinating. Perhaps not.
"Seydon is the only bet we have against Gilaan." He muttered in a low voice as he stood up, throwing the newspaper back on the table. He walked up to the door to exit, but before he could leave, my father added one last thing, giving rise to all sort of questions in our minds, "No, he isn't. Gilaan's powers might work on him. Because that night, even he killed the person he loved."
With his hand fisted around the doorknob, Grandfather paused for a moment too long but then stepped out and left.
Every one of us stood there, stuck in an awkward silence that kept welling up as the time passed. Finally, he let out a deep breath, stepped back and leaned against the wooden table, pinching the bridge of his nose. He lifted his hand up, and slowly the barrier disappeared.
"Release." I whispered to Alex, and he regained his composure.
"What-what just happened?" Huffing, Alex voiced out the elephant in the room. "My dad is out there hunting a criminal? With Seydon? And that criminal is his father?"
We came here with a different set of questions, but after the transaction we just witnessed before our eyes, a new set of concerns raised up. One particular one I caught hold of and decided to ask, "What did you mean when you said Gilaan's powers might work on Seydon?"
Dad's stance stumbled, and he held on to the edge of the table to support himself. Raising his hand up to his head, he held on to some locks of his hair in frustration as he answered, "You don't need to concern yourself with that."
"Answer me, father! What makes him immune to the rule that one can't use their powers on their blood relatives?"
"You were never supposed to know." he mumbled.
I could feel a surge of emotions within me, agony mixed with grief. The memories of that night from eighteen years ago kept haunting me at the back of my mind. The bloody scenery resurfaced before my eyes as I paced towards him and held him by his shirt collar, "How did you just use your barrier powers on me, your own blood? How did you sense my presence when I stepped inside the barrier you placed around the house? What did you sacrifice to achieve that?!"
His gaze stooped down as if trying to hide his unshed tears. "The ancient scriptures of our family... they always asked you to never fall in love... not because it would cloud your judgement... " he stuttered but then continued, "...but because the day you can kill the person you love, you will truly lose any restraint on your powers. You truly become a monster. That is our curse."
His words to Grandfather were as clear as day. I already understood. But I still needed to hear it from his mouth.
That night he sacrificed mother to gain the ultimate pinnacle of his powers.
Author's Notes: Such restraints prevented family members from turning against each other and promoted harmony. However, one, who is capable of killing a soul they least expected to, can finally unleash their powers on any person they desire, whether or not they are blood-related.
Another mystery of their powers revealed! Hehehehe, how was it?
Why do you think if Raydon loved Laila so much, he would still kill her?