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Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
( Proverbs 3 : 31 )
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A month passed.
"The head of the clan will be visiting," news spread throughout the mansion. The announcement shook the estate, and chaos ensued as the servants rushed to complete their neglected tasks.
They had neglected most of their work, except for taking care of Callista. Them taking care of Callista was due to the physician who came to check on her.
Zeru was only given the bare essentials.
Two days later, a magnificent carriage arrived at the mansion.
The carriage was adorned in crimson red and gold, displaying the Flameheart family crest—a burning heart with crossed swords.
A butler opened the carriage door.
A man emerged from the extravagant carriage. He possessed a broad build, standing 6'11" tall. His red hair resembled a lion's mane, and he exuded an aura akin to that of a wild, untamed beast—powerful and commanding.
The knights and servants gathered, bowing in unison to welcome him.
"We greet the family head," they said in unison.
"Lead the way," his deep voice reverberated.
The head maid stepped forward to guide the way, and Ryker followed her with his butler in tow. They traversed the spotless hallway.
Soon, they arrived at Callista's room and the head maid opened the door slowly.
"The Lord is here," the head maid announced.
Ryker entered the room and noticed a small, skinny boy sitting beside the bed, engrossed in a book. He appeared fragile and vulnerable with his small frame. As the sound caught his attention, his lifeless eyes scanned all three of them and settled on Ryker, who stood before them.
"Who are you?" Zeru asked, his voice hoarse.
"How insolent! How dare—" the head maid began to shout but was interrupted by Ryker raising his arm.
"I am sorry, my lord," she bowed.
Ryker took a step forward.
"I am your mother's husband, Ryker Flameheart," he introduced himself.
This marked the first meeting between Zeru and Ryker. It had been 11 years since Ryker last saw them.
Zeru's lifeless eyes sharpened upon hearing Ryker's words. The pain that consumed him transformed into pure rage, directed squarely at Ryker.
"Why are you here? To confirm my mother is dead," he asked mockingly.
His anger calmed him instead of getting the better of him; his heart was already broken. The month without his mother brought him to the reality that you can only depend on yourself.
"Sorry, we won't die that easily. Get out, you don't deserve to see my mother's face," Zeru said with his voice full of hostility.
"Boy, you don't know who you are talking to," said the butler.
"Haha," he sneered, "I know who I am talking to: a man who doesn't deserve my respect. He doubted his wife, but my mother still loved you. How foolish she was. You, Ryker Flameheart, are not even worth the dust on my mother's shoes."
Zeru taunted Ryker, his anger flowing out, but Ryker, without a care, stepped forward. Zeru stood up from his seat and tried to stop Ryker from approaching Callista.
"I said get out," Zeru shouted.
Zeru stood before Ryker, who towered over him; he was like an ant before a giant.
"Get out of my way, boy," he pushed Zeru to the side.
Zeru got flung to the side; he crashed into the wall.
Ryker walked up to Callista's side, he looked at her lifeless figure. Multiple emotions rushed in him. He leaned towards her and touched her face; he felt her cold skin. Even in her state, she had not lost her beauty.
Ryker turned toward the head maid; she couldn't look him in the eyes. He walked up to her and looked down at her.
"What were your duties?" he asked.
The head maid felt like prey in front of the predator; the eyes of Ryker were extremely fierce. Her body shook in terror. Without looking up, she answered.
"To take care of the lady."
In a flash, Ryker lifted the head maid by her throat; he tightened his grip. A crimson red hue started to emit from him.
"Knowing that, you completely ignored it," Ryker shouted.
"N-no lord, I-I did ta-ke care of t-the lady," said the head maid still in Ryker's grasp.
"Don't you dare lie to me," he shouted, "You think I didn't know that you slacked off."
The whole room shook with his voice as the red hue sprung out of his body. The room felt suffocating as the pressure bore down.
"Master, please calm down," the butler said.
Ryker calmed down, and the pressure disappeared. He released the fainted head maid from his grip.
"Why are you putting the blame on the head maid? The servant will only be like their master. You ignored my mother, so they ignored her. If you need someone to blame, blame yourself," Zeru's voice sounded from behind.
Ryker turned to look at Zeru, who stood while supporting himself on the table, heavily panting. Ryker looked Zeru dead in the eye. Zeru didn't shy away from the stare; he met Ryker's.
"Send the boy to the Bulmer castle," he said without looking away, "And put Letitia to take care of Callista and the mansion."
He then turned to the door, he started walking towards the door. He paused before going out.
"Punish them all," he said before going out.
"Understood, my lord," the butler bowed in understanding.
The butler turned to Zeru, who was still supporting himself on the table.
"Young master, you need to prepare to leave," he said.
"Why should I? I won't leave my mother in your hands. I don't trust you," Zeru replied.
"Young master, you don't understand the situation. It is not a request but an order. And this will also give you a chance to clear Lady Callista's name and become one of the successors."
Zeru paused his retort and pondered upon the butler's words; even though he felt that he was sugarcoating his words, it was true that he was weak and had no power. This might be his only chance make his and his mother's life better.
"I will not go for his recognition but to clear my mother's name," Zeru said.
The butler saw the determination in Zeru's eyes.
"Then, prepare to leave in a week," the butler said.
He then bowed and left the room.
...
After Ryker's visit, the whole mansion was in disarray.
All the maids who worked at the mansion were changed, and a new head maid was appointed. The newly appointed maids and the knights worked at full throttle.
The old servants were judged for the negligence of their duty and beheaded, and the knights were stripped of their title or dispatched to another branch. This also caused the new ones to work properly.
Fear worked better than words.
A bunch of things also changed, but they were for the better.
"Young master, it's time to leave," a voice came from behind me.
I turned to look at the voice; a woman stood in her maid attire. She was the newly appointed head maid, Letitia Schmitt.
It was time for me to leave; it was a chance that I couldn't overlook. I would only be able to return after four years. From the information I got from Letitia, my destination was Bulmer Castle, which is used to train and test the successors for Flameheart.
"Okay," I replied.
I closed the book I was reading and looked at my mother; she had not woken up. I took her hands; it will be a while before I get a chance to be with her. I would not be able to meet her in the next four years.
"Mom, I will be leaving today. I will come back after getting stronger. Take care of yourself," I said.
I kissed her on the cheeks before turning back to Letitia. I walked up to her, and she handed me the coat. Since she arrived, she had taken care of me and my mother. She didn't act like the servants before, but I still couldn't fully trust her yet.
"Take care of Mother," I said with a hint of hostility.
"I shall," she answered with a bow.
I walked out of the room. My destination was the north, where the cold chills you to the bone, with no life naturally growing and monsters running rampant.
In other words, it was a test of survival; death was the only other option.
I arrived at the exit, and the new servants lined up and bowed to me. It felt different, as most of the time I was ignored as if I never existed.
I went to the carriage that was waiting with a few knights as escorts.
...
I was inside the moving carriage; it had been three days since we left the mansion. The world outside the mansion was different. The towns and villages we traveled through were warm. The world was vast and colorful.
I saw people my age running about, playing with no care in the world. It was enviable. Maybe if I had been born a commoner, then my mother and I wouldn't have to go through this, but it was nothing but a wishful thought.
"Sir, we have arrived at our destination," the knight's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
We were in the city of Lunia. I didn't know the details, as I was a homebody. We were here to get teleported to the northern province.
We stood before a huge building, the warp station, or could call it GATE. We walked in, and one of the knights showed his crest, and the mage in charge guided us to a room from where we would be teleported.
I sat on the sofa, and after waiting for a few moments, the teleportation circle glowed.
*Zing*
A blinding light flashed.
We were in the same room as before... No, we appeared in a similar room.
I went out to find that we were in a completely different city. The cold weather made me shiver. We had arrived in the north.
We boarded another carriage to continue. I changed my clothes to suit the weather. We took the path to the mountains.
As we moved towards the mountains, the number of human activities reduced.
We started to ascend the mountains using a narrow path. The carriage rattled on the bumpy road.
The rattling carriage stopped its ascent.
"What happened?" the knight behind shouted.
"The path is blocked," said another from the front.
I looked out the window to notice a landslide covering our path. We were already high up in the mountain. The other side was a steep cliff with no end in sight.
Suddenly, the wind started to blow harder, and the carriage started to shake. The wind became fiercer as the cold storm raged.
"It's a storm! Take cover!" the knights shouted.
*Horse neighing*
The horses neighed as they became uncontrollable. The carriage started to speed forward. I looked out the window to notice that the coachmen had jumped.
Like an ink drop spreading in water, I understood. I looked at the knights to notice their smiling faces. The horses had jumped from the cliff with the carriage in tow.
"Well, shit."
Those were the last words that came from my mouth as I fell from the cliff, and at this point, my death was guaranteed.
I felt time slow down as my death approached. The gravity inside the carriage changed, but I didn't feel the sense of urgency in death.
After a few minutes of waiting, the carriage touched the ground.
***
In the capital city of Haken, a castle stood tall, magnificently decorated with statues featuring artistic designs. It was the castle of a king.
An eagle landed in a room; it was carrying news.
A woman walked up to the eagle, she fed and petted it. She removed the letter from its claws, her eyes moving left and right as she read the message.
A smile soon formed on her lips. She then lit the letter in flames before turning away. She dusted the ashes from her hands.
*Knock*
"My lady, the lord has arrived," a voice said.
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